Champion Van Gerwen Stunned on Opening Night
The opening night of the 2026 World Series of Darts Finals produced an immediate and significant shock, as defending champion Michael van Gerwen was eliminated in the first round. The tournament, the 12th staging of the event, brings the curtain down on the year’s global tour at the AFAS Live in Amsterdam, with a prize fund of £450,000 on the line and £100,000 for the winner. Van Gerwen, who beat Luke Littler in last year’s final to claim the title, fell in a dramatic final-leg decider to Daryl Gurney.
The result was all the more surprising given Gurney was a late replacement in the draw. The Northern Irishman, a former multiple major champion, stepped in after Lourence Ilagan was unable to play, handing the top seed an infinitely harder opening assignment than originally scheduled. Gurney, who has a point to prove having missed out on qualification for the upcoming World Grand Prix, started superbly. He silenced the partisan Dutch crowd by racing into a 3-0 lead, a run that was highlighted by a magnificent 170 checkout.
Van Gerwen, however, responded in the manner expected of a reigning champion. He found his formidable scoring range, reeling off a superb sequence of legs in 13, 13, 14, 15 and 13 darts to not only level the match but storm into a 5-3 advantage. At that stage, he seemed to have weathered the storm and be on a clear course for the second round. The decisive tenth leg, however, saw the match turn on its head. With the score at 5-4, Van Gerwen had two separate visits to the oche to find a winning double but failed to convert any of his six opportunities. Gurney held his nerve to force a decider, which he then took to complete the upset. The result, which overturned all expectations, would have caused a significant stir on in-play betting sites.
Afterwards, a crestfallen Van Gerwen struggled to comprehend the defeat. “I don’t get it. I come back so well,” he lamented. “I’m 3-0 down, and I think I throw 13, 13, 14, 15 and 13 darts. In the last leg there’s absolutely nothing wrong. I just miss six darts. It makes no sense at all. I’m sick to my stomach.”
Comebacks and Comfort for Other Dutch Stars
While the home crowd’s main hope departed, there was better news for two other Dutchmen, though both provided contrasting performances. Dirk van Duijvenbode mounted a classic comeback to edge past Viktor Tingstrom 6-5, much to the relief of his supporters. Van Duijvenbode found himself in early trouble, as Tingstrom broke his throw and established commanding leads of 3-0 and later 4-1. The man known as ‘The Aubergenius’ admitted that fears of another first-round exit were beginning to surface.
Buoyed by the atmosphere and the presence of his family, including his partner, he battled back to secure a place in Saturday’s action. He revealed the win was crucial for his mindset, as he did not want to enter the World Grand Prix on the back of another loss. Reflecting on his current game, he offered a candid assessment: “I’m better in practice than I was then [in his prime], but I think mentally I’m not as good.”
Gian van Veen, meanwhile, enjoyed a more comfortable passage into the next round, defeating Chris Dobey 6-2. Despite the convincing scoreline, Van Veen described it as a “strange match” where he felt he was far from his best. “I started really well with a 12-darter in the first leg. After that my scoring was hard to find,” he said, noting that many of his darts were dropping below the treble twenty. He took confidence, however, from seeing his opponent experience similar struggles, and from being able to secure a solid win while not feeling in top form. He also pointed to his own errors, including a moment where a dart aimed for double eight slipped into double sixteen, but was ultimately satisfied to progress.
