Aspinall claims second Euro Tour title of 2025 after Premier League heartbreak “If you want something, you have to fight, to believe you can do it. When things are not going your way, you have to keep fighting, believing that you can get back to your best”

At the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open on Sunday night, Nathan Aspinall defeated Damon Heta 8–6 to win his second European Tour title of 2025 in spectacular fashion.

Aspinall became the first double winner of 2025 to earn the £30,000 top prize, after seven other players had split the trophy in the year’s earlier European Tour events.

After denying Heta, the Stockport star gave Leverkusen another cherished prize at the European Darts prize in March, where he finally won a European Tour title.

After hitting his first five doubles tries, the Australian contributed to an epic final, but he critically missed two darts that forced the match into a decisive 15th leg before Aspinall jumped for triumph.

Aspinall had an early advantage thanks to legs of 13 and 11 darts, but Heta then pushed ahead after checking out 84, 130, and 140, the latter two of which finished with 12-darters.

As the two exchanged legs, the Australian also eliminated 135 before Aspinall capitalised on Heta’s mistakes to reclaim the lead at 6-5 and 7-6.

The final then went into a deciding leg as Heta missed his opportunity at double 18. Aspinall came back to pin double six, capping an incredible victory.

In the third round on Sunday afternoon in Leverkusen, Aspinall, a semifinalist in the Premier League, defeated Ricardo Pietreczko to extinguish German aspirations after opening his challenge against Bradley Brooks on Saturday.

He then edged out Chris Dobey 6-5 in a tight quarter-final and averaged 103 in a gutsy semi-final win over Wessel Nijman which also went to a deciding leg.

“To bounce back after the defeat on Thursday night, to come here and win this tournament, shows where my game’s at at the moment,” said Aspinall.

“I don’t make games easy but in the semi-final and final I played fantastic.

“Credit to Damon – I thought that final was absolutely fantastic, it was a great game of darts, nip and tuck.

“He beat me in Rosmalen in a ProTour final, so it’s one-one in finals! The support I’ve had this weekend has been phenomenal.

“I’ve been through rubbish but I’m getting back there. If you want something you have to fight, to believe you can do it. When things are not going your way, you have to keep fighting, believing that you can get back to your best.

“That’s what I do, week-in and week-out, and the last few weeks have been pretty good.”

Despite winning a Players Championship in April by defeating Aspinall by the identical 8–6 score, Heta’s run brought him to his first European Tour final in three years after he won the Gibraltar Darts Trophy.

With an incredible 7-3 semi-final victory over Dutch Darts Championship winner Jonny Clayton, the Australian secured his place in the final. Both players averaged above 102, and the Australian finished with seven doubles from ten tries.

Heta defeated Matt Campbell of Canada and Andreas Harrysson of Sweden on Sunday as well, although she acknowledged: “I’m very devastated.

“The final was a game of chances at times. Fair play to Nathan, he’s done really well this year. This just makes me hungry for the next one.

“I’m going to go back, keep doing what I’m doing and I just hope things turn around for me and good things come. I’m hoping that I’ll be coming into some form and things are going to happen for me.

“I can’t be too disheartened, because I’ve not had a great Euro Tour, so to make the final I’ve got to look at the positives and I’m just looking forward to the next one.”

After defeating World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker in the third round and defeating Cameron Menzies in the quarterfinals, Clayton had been vying for back-to-back European Tour titles but Heta destroyed his chances.

Wessel Nijman, a Dutch talent, advanced to the European Tour semifinals for the second consecutive year after defeating Stephen Bunting and Peter Wright before losing to Aspinall.

After being called up from the Reserve List to play in Leverkusen, Campbell advanced to his maiden European Tour quarterfinal but paid a heavy price for losing his opportunity to upset Heta in a close match in the round of eight.

Menzies, playing in his second European Tour quarter-final of 2025., joined Premier League players Bunting and Dobey in the round of eight.

Aspinall claims second Euro Tour title of 2025 after Premier League heartbreak

European Darts Open

Sunday June 1

Afternoon Session

Third Round

Matt Campbell 6-3 James Wade

Damon Heta 6-4 Andreas Harrysson

Cameron Menzies 6-3 Ritchie Edhouse

Jonny Clayton 6-0 Mike De Decker

Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Ricardo Pietreczko

Chris Dobey 6-3 Andrew Gilding

Wessel Nijman 6-4 Peter Wright

Stephen Bunting 6-5 Daryl Gurney

Evening Session

Quarter-Finals

Damon Heta 6-5 Matt Campbell

Jonny Clayton 6-3 Cameron Menzies

Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Chris Dobey

Wessel Nijman 6-5 Stephen Bunting

Semi-Finals

Damon Heta 7-3 Jonny Clayton

Nathan Aspinall 7-6 Wessel Nijman

Final

Nathan Aspinall 8-6 Damon Heta