Ross Smith claimed his second major title with a commanding 11-5 victory over Gerwyn Price in the final of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam this past weekend. Smith, who had earlier dispatched Josh Rock 10-7 in the quarter-finals and Gian van Veen 11-8 in the semi-finals, produced a statement final display to deny Price, who had beaten James Wade 10-7 and Jonny Clayton 11-7 en route to the showpiece. The final remained finely poised at 5-5 before Smith shifted through the gears in the third session, reeling off six consecutive legs to seal a memorable victory.
While Smith's triumph was the big talking point, so was Luke Littler, whose hopes of a clean sweep of the 2026 season were emphatically ended by Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals. Clayton ran out a comprehensive 10-4 winner, with Littler struggling throughout the weekend. The 19-year-old had already been made to work extremely hard against Danny Noppert and Nathan Aspinall, but his tournament finally came to an end against Clayton. The defeat also means Littler will no longer be able to complete his clean sweep, with consequences for the remainder of his schedule: he will not travel to the Players Championship events in the Netherlands this week and, as a result, will also miss the Players Championship Finals. He was already due to skip the final two European Tour events, meaning that after the World Grand Prix, we are likely to see Littler only at the European Championship and the Grand Slam of Darts before the World Championship.
The Dutch crowd played a significant role in the weekend's drama, with Littler subjected to plenty of booing and whistling throughout his games. Following his victory over Aspinall, Littler strongly criticised the crowd and even threatened to boycott future events in the Netherlands, similar to comments he has previously made about playing in Germany. "The Nuke" was clearly irritated by the reception, and it now appears that this could become a reality. Samuel Gill, Editor for DartsNews.com, noted: "As a Brit I see it with other athletes like Keely Hodgkinson, Emma Raducanu where they win and then are immediately thrust into the spotlight constantly mainly by tabloid press to the point where fans loathe them. But it seems to be more that some fans including those in Holland just hate winners and want something different. That is fine, but Littler's dominance should be applauded. Not shunned and given the treatment like he is some villain."
Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com, added: "The biggest talking point, though, remains Luke Littler's defeat. The 19-year-old had looked somewhat out of sorts throughout the weekend. He had already been made to work extremely hard against Danny Noppert and, in particular, Nathan Aspinall, but his tournament finally came to an end against Jonny Clayton. Littler was beaten comprehensively, going down 10-4. The defeat may also have been influenced to some extent by the Dutch crowd, who unfortunately failed to show their best side during Littler's matches."
Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com, offered a different perspective: "From the off, the crowd was not his friend. He played Danny Noppert in the first match and was getting a lot of grief from the partisan fans. What did Littler do? He reacted to them, giving them more to feed off. He deserves a lot of credit in how he got through it as well as the math against Nathan Aspinall, but his comments after about boycotting the Netherlands seems a bit rash and thoughtless. Yes, the supporters were favouring the other player for much of the time, but can you blame them? Darts fans have been fed up of 'The Nuke' winning. It is never a bad thing for the same person to win, but his dominance on the major stage has put a target on his back. Either get used to it or change their persona. If not, then he will have a very small list of countries he chooses to play in. The moral of the story: if you cannot take it, do not give it."
Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com, said: "He was booed by sections of the Amsterdam crowd throughout virtually the entire weekend. Littler has perhaps brought some of that upon himself with his occasionally arrogant and provocative behaviour on stage, but it would still be a great shame if it ultimately led him to consider skipping tournaments in the Netherlands. Moreover, it does little for the image of Dutch darts fans. That is particularly unfortunate given that, in football, Dutch supporters have built a reputation for being among the most colourful and good-natured fans at European Championships and World Cups."
Nicolas Gayer, Editor for DartsNews.DE, described Littler as the boycott World Champion: "While I can understand his frustration with the crowd and completely condemn fans deliberately whistling to distract players, I still believe Luke Littler is doing himself no favours with the way he is handling the situation. In my opinion, being World Champion and world number one also comes with a certain degree of responsibility. And as much as Luke Littler, as the poster boy of darts, has helped drive the sport to unprecedented heights, he should be careful not to add the title of 'boycott world champion' to his World Championship crown. Because, ultimately, he is the World Champion — not the UK Champion."
Bram Coenen, editor for DartsNieuws.com, questioned whether the World Series of Darts Finals is actually a major: "Although you could also ask whether the World Series of Darts Finals is actually a major. It certainly isn't a ranking event, but then again, neither is the Premier League Darts, although that tournament does have much more prestige and profile. Someone who certainly won't be too bothered by all of this is Ross Smith. What a fantastic year the 37-year-old Englishman is having. He had already won two European Tour titles earlier this year and has now also claimed the World Series of Darts Finals title, making it his second major after his European Championship triumph in 2022. Smith has immediately established himself alongside Littler as one of the absolute favourites for the World Grand Prix."
From a Dutch perspective, Gian van Veen reached the semi-finals and once again underlined that he is now firmly established among the world's elite. Dirk van Duijvenbode made it to the quarter-finals, picking up an impressive victory over Luke Humphries along the way. Michael van Gerwen still cannot seem to find a way out of his current slump and endured another disappointing weekend in front of his home crowd. Wessel Nijman once again produced some strong darts, but had the misfortune of running into an extremely efficient James Wade.
Smith's victory also ended a run of major titles won by Luke Littler, with Gian van Veen's European Championship run being the last time another player lifted a major. Smith's final display was exceptional, and he can well and truly be classed among the elite in this current moment in time. To bully Gerwyn Price off the stage in a best-of-21 format is no easy task and deserves huge praise. This has put him in the fray for a Premier League Darts spot, with Littler, Luke Humphries, van Veen, Price, and Clayton seeming like shoe-ins, and Michael van Gerwen as well, depending on how far he plummets. Behind them, the leading contenders are Smith, Wessel Nijman, and James Wade, with Smith receiving a huge boost from this major title.
