Fabulous Luke Humphries silences his critics winning the Belgian Darts Open “The European Tour has made me the player I am”
Fabulous Luke Humphries silences his critics winning the Belgian Darts Open “The European Tour has made me the player I am”
Luke Humphries silenced his critics in style this weekend, producing a superb campaign to clinch European Tour glory at the Belgian Darts Open, defeating Jonny Clayton 8-6 in Sunday’s showpiece in Wieze.
Roared on by a sell-out crowd at the Oktoberhallen, the world number two celebrated his ninth European Tour title with a composed and clinical display, reaffirming his credentials among the sport’s elite.
Clayton struck first in the final, but Humphries responded emphatically, reeling off six consecutive legs to seize control of the contest. The Englishman pinned superb finishes of 142 and 130 during that run to storm into a commanding 6-1 lead.
However, the Welsh number one refused to go quietly. The Llaneli-born star produced a spirited fightback, winning four of the next five legs, including a brilliant 126 checkout on the bull after Humphries had missed the same target for a 132 finish.
Despite Clayton’s late surge, Humphries held firm to deny a deciding leg, sealing victory with a clinical 13-darter to get his hands on the title.
“I put myself under pressure, but it’s really nice to get that winning feeling again,” admitted Humphries, who secured his first European Tour crown since September 2025.
“Usually in those circumstances I close the game out a lot better, but when you’re not winning as much, it becomes harder and you feel the nerves.
“Jonny is one of the most underrated players in the world. You cannot shake him off, so big credit to him for fighting back, but this means a lot to me.”
Humphries’ route to the title underlined his quality and resilience. After averaging over 100 in his opening win against Dirk van Duijvenbode on Saturday, he carried that form into Finals Day.
He began Sunday with a dominant 6-1 victory over Jermaine Wattimena, averaging north of 102, before edging out Chris Dobey in a gruelling last-leg decider.
The 31-year-old then produced one of the performances of the tournament in the semi-finals, demolishing Michael van Gerwen 7-2 to end the Dutchman’s hopes of another title in Belgium.
Currently sitting just inside the Play-Off places in the BetMGM Premier League, Humphries reiterated his affection for the European Tour – a circuit that has played a pivotal role in his development.
“The European Tour has made me the player I am,” he added. “I’ve learnt my trade here, and I’m going to keep pushing.
“I’m working so hard to try and push every player and be the best version of myself. I love this sport, and winning trophies like this means the world to me.”
Clayton, meanwhile, produced a series of battling performances to reach the final. He opened his campaign with victory over Sebastian Bialecki, before edging past Ross Smith 6-5 in a dramatic deciding-leg clash.
The Welshman then ended the hopes of home favourite Andy Baetens with a dominant 6-1 display, averaging just shy of 100.
In the semi-finals, Clayton showed his trademark resilience to survive four match darts against Niels Zonneveld, battling through 7-6 to set up a repeat of their recent Premier League final.
“I thought I was going home early when I was 6-1 down,” Clayton admitted after the final.
“Luke gave me a few chances and I got back into the game, but he missed a lot of doubles to be fair.
“Luke is a great player, a great asset to darts, and I’m proud to be part of this era with these fantastic fans.”
Zonneveld was one of the standout performers of the weekend, following up wins over Jani Haavisto and Mike De Decker by dumping out world champion Luke Littler in a deciding-leg thriller, sealing victory with a sensational 147 checkout.
He then defeated Danny Noppert to reach the semi-finals, where his impressive run was eventually halted by Clayton.
Elsewhere, Van Gerwen’s route to the last four included victories over Mickey Mansell, Daryl Gurney and Ryan Joyce, while Noppert, Joyce and Dobey completed the quarter-final line-up.
Earlier in the day, Littler’s bid for a third consecutive Belgian title was ended by Zonneveld, whose remarkable 147 finish in the deciding leg denied the world number one a place in the latter stages.
Following a thrilling weekend in Wieze, the 2026 Winamax European Tour continues with the German Darts Grand Prix in Munich from April 4-6, where Van Gerwen will target back-to-back titles at the Zenith, while Humphries sets his sights on extending his winning run.
Fabulous Luke Humphries silences his critics winning the Belgian Darts Open
Sunday March 22
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 GMT)
Round Three
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 Luke Littler
Danny Noppert 6-5 Ryan Searle
Jonny Clayton 6-5 Ross Smith
Andy Baetens 6-5 Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Chris Dobey 6-3 Kim Huybrechts
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Ryan Joyce 6-5 Cristo Reyes
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Niels Zonneveld 6-3 Danny Noppert
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Andy Baetens
Luke Humphries 6-5 Chris Dobey
Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Semi-Finals
Jonny Clayton 7-6 Niels Zonneveld
Luke Humphries 7-2 Michael van Gerwen
Final
Luke Humphries 8-6 Jonny Clayton
