Gian van Veen hammers Luke Humphries to reach World Darts Championship semi-final as Littler seals Ratajski rout

Gian van Veen produced an emphatic display to thrash Luke Humphries for a place in his maiden World Darts Championship semi-final on New Year’s Day, as he joined Luke Littler, Gary Anderson and Ryan Searle in the final four.

The opening day of darting action in 2026 saw the quarter-finals take place at Alexandra Palace, and it was European Champion Van Veen who stole the headlines.

The 23-year-old came into the tournament without a win on the sport’s biggest stage, but he reaffirmed his title credentials with a comprehensive 5-1 demolition of the world number two.

Van Veen had won each of his four meetings against Humphries in 2025, and he extended that remarkable run in some style, averaging 105.4 and firing in eleven 180s in the process.

“I am so over the moon – I’m so proud,” said an elated Van Veen, who will become the new Dutch number one after this year’s tournament – leapfrogging three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen.

“I felt really, really good today. Luke is a fantastic player, and you know that you have to perform at your best to beat him.

“I always said the European Championship would be my best ever win, but this is probably the biggest win of my career. This feeling is indescribable!”

Van Veen – aided by checkouts of 120 and 124 – drew first blood in a high-quality opening set, before Humphries delivered an immediate riposte to restore parity at one apiece.

However, Van Veen regained the initiative following an edgy conclusion to set three, before conjuring up a sensational 170 checkout and a ten-darter on his way to extending his lead to 3-1.

Despite wiring the bull for another 170 finish – Van Veen then came out on top in a crucial fifth-set decider, and he capped off an imperious display in fitting style, sealing the victory with an 11-darter.

Meanwhile, reigning champion Littler continued his bid for back-to-back world titles courtesy of a brutal 5-0 whitewash of Krzysztof Ratajski.

Littler landed a trademark 170 checkout to clinch a hard-fought opening set, sparking a brutal seven-leg winning run which left Ratajski staring down the barrel.

The world number one also produced a 128 checkout on the bull and a brace of 100 checkouts during this spell, but Poland’s number one launched a spirited comeback in set four.

Nevertheless, Ratajski later spurned three darts to reduce the arrears to 3-1, and Littler punished his rival’s profligacy in typically ruthless fashion to complete a darting demolition job.

“I didn’t feel comfortable tonight, but a win is a win,” admitted Littler, despite averaging 100, hitting ten 180s and pinning 55 per cent of his attempts at doubles.

“I was changing the way I was holding my dart, but hopefully now I’m playing day after day, I will perform better tomorrow.

“I think that first set was crucial. I’ve not gone a set down in this tournament yet, and to win the set by hitting the big fish, it felt even better!”

Littler’s reward is a semi-final showdown Ryan Searle, who dispatched fifth seed Jonny Clayton 5-2 to advance to a first World Championship semi-final.

The 38-year-old raced into a 3-0 lead – punishing a plethora of missed doubles from the Welshman to win his 17th consecutive set in this year’s tournament.

Clayton halted that remarkable sequence with a fourth set revival, but Searle – aided by a clutch 111 checkout to wrap up set five – regained control to celebrate a landmark victory.

“It’s a special feeling,” admitted Searle, who provisionally moves into the world’s top eight for the first time in his career.

“My scoring wasn’t great today, but I felt like in the high-pressure moments, I was finding some really good finishes.

“There’s a lot of pressure on you and it’s hard to perform under that, but I’m proud of myself to get over the line and we’ll see where we go tomorrow.”

The day’s other quarter-final saw Gary Anderson overcome the tournament’s surprise package Justin Hood to advance to his eighth World Championship semi-final.

The two-time World Champion unleashed a blistering late barrage to wrap up a convincing 5-2 success, winning nine of the last ten legs to continue his pursuit of the Sid Waddell Trophy.

The Scot controlled proceedings from the outset, but Hood’s clinical doubling kept him in contention, with the 32-year-old converting 101 and 100 checkouts to wrap up sets two and four respectively.

However, Anderson hit back with a clean sweep in set five, before landing 72, 98, 121 and 161 checkouts in consecutive legs on his way to halting Hood’s dream debut run.

“The crowd today – I’ve never heard noise like it,” admitted Anderson, who averaged 99.4 and fired in a hat-trick of ton-plus finishes.

“Justin will take that to the grave with him. He deserves it for what he’s done this year. Nobody knows him they said; they know him now!

“I don’t think it makes any difference who you play now; they’re all talented players, so we’ll see what happens!”

World Darts Championship 2025/26 Quarter-Final Results

Thursday January 1

Afternoon Session
Ryan Searle 5-2 Jonny Clayton
Gary Anderson 5-2 Justin Hood

Evening Session
Luke Littler 5-0 Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries 1-5 Gian van Veen