Ross Smith thrashes Gary Anderson to clinch Hungarian Darts Trophy title
Ross Smith scooped his second European Tour title of the year at the Hungarian Darts Trophy with an 8-2 rout of Gary Anderson in the final in Budapest on Sunday.
Smith – who claimed his maiden European Tour title at the International Darts Open in May – stormed to glory at the MVM Dome, which hosted a record-breaking European Tour crowd of 6,000 fans.
After an impressive 6-2 win over William O’Connor with a 101.3 average on Saturday, Smith saw off Jonny Clayton 6-4 on Sunday afternoon, aided by a 60 per cent checkout success rate.
The former European Champion then coasted past Dave Chisnall 6-2 to reach the semi-finals – where he dispatched Danny Noppert 7-3 with another clinical display to reach a third European Tour final of the year.
After taking a 2-1 lead courtesy of 103 and 124 checkouts, Smith surged into a five-leg lead over Anderson to move just two away from the title.
The 37-year-old closed out the contest with an 11-dart break of throw, finishing the match with a 101 average and 73 per cent checkout success-rate in a dominant display.
“I feel a bit in disbelief in a way because I was coming here on the back of two losses in the World Series,” reflected Smith, who moves up to world number 15 after pocketing the £35,000 top prize.
“Playing Gary – it’s Gary Anderson isn’t it, he’s a legend. To be able to beat Gary, wow.
“At the end of the day, I’m playing in front of thousands and thousands of people.
“This is my job, wow! I’m so grateful, it’s a pinch myself moment.
“I absolutely love the European Tour. To travel the world and see everything and take my little lad with me, it’s an absolute privilege.”
Smith’s second title of the year sees him move top of the 2026 European Tour rankings, leapfrogging fellow two-time title winner Wessel Nijman.
Despite falling short in the showpiece, Anderson had a campaign to remember, bolstering his European Championship chances by picking up his first four European Tour wins of 2026.
The two-time World Champion kicked off his quest for a fourth European Tour title with a sparkling 105.3 average in sweeping past Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2, before pipping Stephen Bunting in a last-leg decider to reach the quarter-finals.
The Scottish icon registered another ton-plus average to edge past Gian van Veen in a last-leg shootout, before surviving five match darts against Nathan Aspinall to snatch a spot in his first European Tour final since July last year.
“I ran out of steam a long time ago!” joked Anderson, featuring in only a third European Tour event of the campaign.
“Making the final was sheer luck, it was a gift from the gods I got this far.
“Ross has been brilliant throughout the day. We watched him during the second game, he was fantastic.
“We’ve got a few tournaments left to get into the Finals, so I’m going to give it my damnedest.”
Last year’s runner-up Noppert reached the semi-finals courtesy of wins over Ryan Searle and Dirk van Duijvenbode on Sunday, while Aspinall reached the same stage following hard-fought victories over Michael van Gerwen and Chris Dobey.
Hungarian Darts Trophy 2026 Day Three Results
Sunday August 30
Afternoon Session
Last 16
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Rob Cross
Danny Noppert 6-4 Ryan Searle
Jonny Clayton 4-6 Ross Smith
Keane Barry 2-6 Dave Chisnall
Gian van Veen 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena
Stephen Bunting 5-6 Gary Anderson
Michael van Gerwen 4-6 Nathan Aspinall
Josh Rock 3-6 Chris Dobey
Evening Session
Quarter-Finals
Dirk van Duijvenbode 5-6 Danny Noppert
Ross Smith 6-2 Dave Chisnall
Gian van Veen 5-6 Gary Anderson
Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Chris Dobey
Semi-Finals
Ross Smith 7-3 Danny Noppert
Gary Anderson 7-6 Nathan Aspinall
Final
Ross Smith 8-2 Gary Anderson
