Gian van Veen edged world number one Luke Humphries to win the European Championship in dramatic fashion in Dortmund.
Van Veen nailed a 100 outshot to take the title 11-10, moments after Humphries – who had forced the decider by taking out 85 on the bull – missed a match dart of his own at tops.
It marked a stunning win for the 23-year-old World Youth Champion, who had looked in danger of being blown away when he fell 4-1 behind, only to hit back to level at 5-5.
In a breakthrough week, Van Veen had booked his place in the final with a come-from-behind 11-9 victory over Michael van Gerwen, while Humphries beat Danny Noppert 11-8 in their last-four clash.
The 23-year-old made no mistake on his return, taking out the same 100 finish - this time via double 16 - to clinch the coveted title in dramatic style.
GIAN VAN VEEN WINS THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 🏆
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 26, 2025
It's incredible from Gian van Veen... 🙌
What nerve from the young man as he beats Luke Humphries 11-10 to win the 2025 Machineseeker European Championship! pic.twitter.com/Xkl6vCNGuv
"This is such a phenomenal feeling," reflected Van Veen, who pockets the £120,000 top prize and rises to a career-high of world number seven.
"When I missed that 100 finish to win 11-9 and Luke hit the 85 on the bull, I thought it was over, so to hit that same 100 checkout to win it is amazing.
"I will never forget this moment, and it's incredible to win my first major title in Germany. What a night.
"I know Luke is devastated to lose this final, but the sportsmanship he showed towards me – that’s why he is the world number one.
"He’s an amazing person."
Despite missing out on a maiden European Championship crown, Humphries' run to Sunday’s showpiece cements his status as the world number one – a position that was under serious threat this weekend.
The 30-year-old (above, l) booked his place at Finals Day with impressive wins over Krzysztof Ratajski and Cameron Menzies, averaging 110 in a six-leg demolition of the Polish number one before edging past Menzies in a last-leg epic.
Humphries then swept aside Luke Littler’s conqueror James Wade in the quarter-finals, which he followed up with victory against Noppert in a topsy-turvy last-four encounter.
Noppert was featuring in a third consecutive European Championship semi-final, having dumped out German number two Ricardo Pietreczko in a repeat of their quarter-final clash 12 months ago.
Van Gerwen, meanwhile, ran out a 10-7 winner against Derry's Daryl Gurney in Sunday’s other quarter-final, only to be denied by a courageous Van Veen in a captivating all-Dutch encounter.
Additional reporting: PDC
