Josh Rock European Tour glory in Graz with a second title at the Austrian Darts Open “To come here this weekend and win is a massive achievement”
Josh Rock European Tour glory in Graz with a second title at the Austrian Darts Open “To come here this weekend and win is a massive achievement”
Josh Rock ended his wait for a second European Tour crown with a superb title-winning run at the 2026 Elten Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open, defeating Kevin Doets 8-6 in a high-quality final in Graz on Sunday evening.
The Northern Irish star produced a series of outstanding displays across the weekend at the Stadthalle, reeling off five consecutive victories to capture the £35,000 top prize and secure his first European Tour success in almost two years.
Rock began his campaign in confident fashion on Saturday, dispatching home favourite Patrik Kovacs 6-3 while missing only three darts at double in an efficient opening performance.
The 25-year-old was then pushed to the brink in the last 16, surviving three match darts against Germany’s Niko Springer before edging through a dramatic deciding-leg encounter to keep his hopes alive.
That escape appeared to spark Rock into life for the remainder of the tournament. He followed it up with an impressive 6-4 victory over Spain’s Cristo Reyes in the quarter-finals, overcoming a spectacular 170 checkout from the Spaniard to book his place in the final four.
A meeting with fellow Northern Irishman and World Cup-winning team-mate Daryl Gurney awaited in the semi-finals, but Rock produced one of his best displays of the weekend to storm through 7-3 with a ton-plus average.
That set up a mouth-watering showdown with Kevin Doets, who had been one of the standout performers throughout the tournament.
The final delivered from the very beginning, with both players trading heavy scoring and early breaks of throw in a frantic opening spell. Four consecutive breaks saw neither man able to establish control before Doets edged ahead at 3-2 courtesy of a clinical 11-dart hold.
Rock responded in spectacular style.
The world number 11 produced a sensational 170 checkout — the fourth ‘Big Fish’ finish landed during the day — to ignite the Graz crowd and swing momentum firmly in his favour as he moved into a 5-3 lead.
Doets refused to back down though, capitalising on a costly mistake from Rock, who missed the single 20 while attempting a 78 finish. The Dutchman punished the error to break throw and level the contest at 6-6, threatening to force a dramatic late turnaround.
However, Rock immediately regained control in the next leg, pinning 78 with his final dart in hand to break straight back and earn the opportunity to throw for the title.
A composed 14-dart hold then sealed victory, the Austrian Darts Open title and the traditional green jacket, with Rock averaging an outstanding 101.56 in the final — his best performance statistically of the entire weekend.
“I’m very relieved,” confessed Rock, who had previously finished runner-up at the Austrian Darts Open in 2023.
“To come here this weekend and win is a massive achievement. I’m just happy that two Northern Irishmen got a green jacket this year!
“I made my first final against Jonny [Clayton] here, and when he got the jacket I was kind of jealous.
“Then Martin [Schindler] beat me last year in the semi-final and won it, so I was determined to win it this year, and I’m happy I finally got it.
“Kevin has been playing unbelievable this year, and he has proved it by winning his first ProTour on Monday.
“He’s only going to keep winning more, I’m just grateful I got the edge against him in this one.”
Although Doets fell short in the final, the Dutchman continued his remarkable rise with another hugely impressive week on the PDC circuit.
Fresh from capturing his maiden ranking title at Players Championship 13 earlier in the week, the 28-year-old looked poised to add a first European Tour title to his growing résumé after a string of brilliant performances in Graz.
Doets opened his campaign with a controlled 6-3 win over Chris Landman on Friday, missing just two darts at double during the contest.
He backed that up with another polished display against World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle on Saturday, winning 6-2 while converting 60 percent of his attempts at double.
Finals Day saw the Dutchman continue his relentless form. He defeated Ryan Joyce by another 6-2 scoreline before producing arguably the performance of the tournament to beat Luke Woodhouse in the quarter-finals.
Doets averaged a staggering 112.31 during the match, firing in a sensational 170 checkout before wrapping up victory with a stunning 141 finish to reach the semi-finals.
The Dutchman then overcame former World Champion Rob Cross to advance to the first European Tour final of his career, producing another ruthless display on the outer ring by landing 54 percent of his doubles.
Despite defeat to Rock in the final, Doets enjoyed the finest week of his professional career to date and climbed to 33rd in the world rankings, moving to within just £250 of breaking into the top 32.
“I was sweating so much [in the final] – my hair is wet!” joked Doets after the contest.
“He wouldn’t stop! Whatever I threw at him, he did better.
“He was the deserved winner today, although I felt like I had my chances. It was a great final, and let’s hope for more.
“I want to be a regular in the Premier League and become a top eight, top four player in the world, or World Champion one day – that’s everyone’s goal. We keep fighting for it.”
Elsewhere on Finals Day, Rob Cross booked his semi-final spot with a dominant 6-1 victory over Andrew Gilding, having earlier eliminated four-time Austrian Darts Open champion Michael van Gerwen in the last 16.
Gurney also impressed by defeating reigning Austrian Darts Open champion Martin Schindler 6-2, taking full advantage of a significant gap in finishing efficiency between the pair.
Attention now switches back to the ProTour circuit, with Players Championship events taking place in Leicester on May 12-13, before the European Tour resumes later this month with the Elten Safety Shoes International Darts Open in Riesa from May 22-24.
Josh Rock European Tour glory in Graz with a second title at the Austrian Darts Open
2026 Elten Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open
Sunday May 10
Afternoon Session
Round Three
Kevin Doets 6-2 Ryan Joyce
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 James Wade
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Kim Huybrechts
Rob Cross 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Cristo Reyes 6-3 Danny Noppert
Josh Rock 6-5 Niko Springer
Martin Schindler 6-2 Ross Smith
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Madars Razma
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Kevin Doets 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Rob Cross 6-1 Andrew Gilding
Josh Rock 6-4 Cristo Reyes
Daryl Gurney 6-2 Martin Schindler
Semi-Finals
Kevin Doets 7-3 Rob Cross
Josh Rock 7-3 Daryl Gurney
Final
Josh Rock 8-6 Kevin Doets
