How The European Tour Has Changed Darts

European Tour

Christopher Kempf takes a look at how the European Tour has changed professional darts for the better.

2018 Unibet European Championship Draw

Machineseeker European Championship

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN begins his defence of the Unibet European Championship title against Paul Nicholson - field & draw confirmed.

2018 European Darts Trophy Day Two

European Tour

JELLE KLAASEN defeated world number two Peter Wright to progress to the Last 16 of the European Darts Trophy.

2018 European Darts Trophy Day One

European Tour

STEVE BEATON survived a match dart to defeat Kim Huybrechts 6-5 in the first round of the European Darts Trophy.

Klaasen Targets Strong End To 'Difficult' Year

Machineseeker European Championship

JELLE KLAASEN is targeting a strong end to a tough 2018.

Schindler Heads ET13 Host Nation Qualifiers

European Tour

MARTIN SCHINDLER headlined the six Host Nation Qualifiers for the European Darts Trophy on Thursday night.

2018 European Darts Trophy Draw/Schedule

European Tour

FORMER European Tour event winners Kim Huybrechts & Steve Beaton will clash in Friday's first round at the European Darts Trophy.

Unibet European Championship Qualification Latest

Machineseeker European Championship

THE RACE to qualify for the Unibet European Championship culminates with the European Darts Trophy.

ET13 UK Qualifiers Confirmed

European Tour

STEVE BEATON, Stephen Bunting and Mervyn King were among the players to secure their place in the European Darts Trophy.

Michael van Gerwen picked up his second European Tour title of the year in Graz on Sunday, defeating Danny Noppert 8-5 in the final.

Van Gerwen backed up his German Darts Championship win in March by defeating fellow-Dutchman Noppert in front of a capacity crowd at the Premstättner Halle to pocket the £25,000 winner's prize.

The world number three ended last year with just one ranking title to his name, but already has four this time around as the three-time World Champion continues his resurgence in 2022.

"I always want to win, I always put pressure on my shoulders so to win this title means a lot," said Van Gerwen, who now has 34 European Tour titles to his name.

"We all had to wait a long time to play this tournament again but this crowd made it worth the wait; they were phenomenal, not just for me but for everyone in the tournament.

"It was really hard to perform on stage because of the heat which makes me even more proud of myself to get this win."

The tournament reached its climax with Finals Day on Sunday, with the last 16 taking place in the afternoon session before the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in the evening.

Van Gerwen avenged Thursday's Premier League loss to James Wade in the last 16 tie, coming through a last-leg decider to set up a quarter-final meeting with Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Van Gerwen's most impressive display of the weekend saw him average 106.05 to earn a 6-1 win over his countryman, before seeing off Stephen Bunting 7-5 in the semi-finals.

The final saw Noppert fight back from 3-0 down, hitting a 120 checkout on the way, to level at 3-3 and the pair remained all square four legs later at 5-5.

The 12th leg proved decisive as Van Gerwen landed a 14-dart break of throw to open up daylight at 7-5, before following up with another 14-darter to seal victory.

The wait for a maiden European Tour title goes on for Noppert, who reached his first final having previously made the semi-finals on three occasions.

The UK Open champion enjoyed victories over Premier League leader Jonny Clayton, Joe Cullen and Nathan Aspinall en route to the final.

It was another encouraging weekend for Aspinall on his return from injury, defeating Madars Razma and Ricky Evans to reach the last four.

Drawboard