Krzysztof Ratajski is the winner of the European Darts Open 2026! In the final against Jermaine Wattimena, the Pole won with a score of 8:6. There was also a semi-final for the first time on the European Tour in Poland with Sebastian Bialecki after James Wade and Nathan Aspinall failed to convince in the final session.
Quarterfinals:
Wattimena violated his ban for the quarter-finals
Jermaine Wattimena was already in the final session in Slovakia – and while the game was once again lackluster, he now reached the semi-finals of the European Tour for the first time thanks to a 6-5 win over Luke Woodhouse. The opening phase was not for the gourmets, with Wattimena making good 15 darts early to make it 2-1. The Dutchman repeatedly showed strong nerves with the last dart in hand and was able to check 86, 80 and 104 points on his throw. But as Woodhouse had also won his leg relatively comfortably, there was to be a deciding leg in which the shot was decided again: Woody didn’t work, and Wattimena calmly converted his third dart of the match before the tears flowed in the interview.
Heta continues to be strong
After defeating Michael van Gerwen, Damon Heta was left with the next Dutchman on his conscience: a 6-2 win over Dirk van Duivenbode sent the Australian into the semi-finals for the second time in the last three ET tournaments. The game knew only one direction from the very beginning. Van Duivenbode missed his first double chance in the third and Hete had to simply put his boot down. In the 13th and 14th darts the score even increased to 5-0, his opponent surpassed 50 points. It was only after missing the match darts that van Duivenbode came to his senses and removed another 110 and 88, but miserably missed the opportunity to extend play further in the last match.
Bialecki also reached the semi-finals for the first time.
After Jermaine Wattimena, Sebastian Bialecki also made it to the final four for the first time in his career, beating James Wade 6-2. After an even leg split early on, Wade’s scoring machine stalled and the Pole made it 4-1 with consistent legs in the 18, 15 and 17 darts. After a short break in the sixth leg, Bialecki took the next step and gave his opponent no chance in the 13th and 14th darts.
Ratajski stops defending champions
In the last quarter-final game, Krzysztof Ratajski created a novelty: for the first time in a European Tour tournament, two Polish players met in a duel at such a late stage. He followed his compatriot with a 6-4 win over Nathan Aspinall to complete his title defense. Aspinall should have led 3-0 thanks to a clear scoring advantage, but Ratajski was able to keep the game alive even after 4 Asp double faults. The Polish Eagle even managed to make the score 4:3 on the first break, which Aspinall immediately returned with 14 darts. But then Ratajski even managed to land a 12-dart strike, to which the Englishman had no answer.
Semi-finals:
Wattimena even reached the final for the first time
Once the spell is broken, it usually works on its own. Jermaine Wattimena, averaging 87 points, again used his B game to earn a 7-3 win over Damon Heta. The Australian already had to mourn two missed doubles darts in the first match, while Wattimena scored both 70 and 66 points and also had 13 darts en route to a 4-0 lead. And although the mortgage was not yet large enough, Heta missed a double ring after his victory in the first leg, so Wattimena hit 24 darts to make it 5-1. After the final 15 dart game, victory was never in danger again.
Poland’s semi-final went to Ratajski
In the end, experience won out: Krzysztof Ratajski was able to hold off his World Championship partner Sebastian Bialecki, who was 26 years his junior, with a score of 7:5. A great game unfolded between the two Poles. Bialecki checked 101, 98, and then almost even 170. Despite missing the bullseye, the lead was 3-0. Ratajski parried 13 darts and, after an important check for 110, made 170 himself to make it 3-3. The match was decided in the ninth as both men had serious problems on the outside ring and Ratajski slipped away at the break to make it 5-4. Bialecki did not give up, but the “Polish Eagle” ruthlessly played 83 and 72 points to win.
Final:
Ratajski created a confusing ending
In the final, Krzysztof Ratajski started much better and led 3-0 in the 19, 15 and 14 darts. However, the Pole missed two shots over the tops in the fourth, allowing Jermaine Wattimena to connect. In the seventh leg the Dutchman managed a 14-darter re-break to make it 4-4 on D16. Everything is back to normal! Wattimena got his next break with 84, then punished his opponent for five mistakes and made the score 6:4. However, Tops did not want to sit in the eleventh leg, so Ratajski was able to reduce the lead after losing five legs in a row. In the twelfth match there was also double trouble, D2 lost to the Polish Eagle to equalize the score. With a score of 68 on D4, Ratajski took a 7-6 lead and after Wattimena missed two darts, the Pole took the title on D10.
What’s next for PDC?
The next major tournament starts next Saturday in Blackpool with the World Matchplay. DAZN and Pluto TV will stream the event live all days.
Final session results:
Sunday, July 12, 2026:
Terminating a session:
Quarterfinals:
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Luke Woodhouse (90.16 – 89.49)
Dirk van Duivenbode 2-6 Damon Heta (90.30 – 96.15)
Sebastian Bialecki 6-2 James Wade (96.93 – 86.71)
Nathan Aspinall 4-6 Krzysztof Ratajski (89.87 – 92.59)
Semi-finals:
Jermaine Wattimena 7-3 Damon Heta (86.67 – 88.52)
Sebastian Bialecki 5-7 Krzysztof Ratajski (94.57 –
100.40)
Final:
Jermaine Wattimena 6-8 Krzysztof Ratajski (86.73 – 92.43)
Prize fund 2026:
A total of £230,000 will be up for grabs for each tournament, with the winner going home with £35,000. All 32 players pre-qualified through the PDC Order of Merit and Pro Tour Order of Merit must win their first game for their prize money to be included in the rankings. If you lose your first game, you will receive prize money, but it will not count towards your prize money. the main PDC Order of Merit, as well as the European Tour Order of Merit and the Pro Tour Order of Merit.
A.
Winner: £35,000
Second place: £15,000
Semi-finals: £10,000
Quarterfinals: £8,000
1/8 finals: £5000
2nd round: £3500
1st round: £2000
Total: £230,000
TV broadcast 2026:
Sports broadcast service DAZN broadcasts every major tournament, every European Tour event and every World Series event live and in HD. You can watch the broadcast on Smart TV, smartphone, PC, laptop and tablet. Service in Unlimited Abo costs €34.99 per month (annual subscription) and can be canceled at any time with a monthly subscription (€44.99 per month). Apart from darts, DAZN also offers many other live events such as the Bundesliga or Champions League, as well as other sports such as the NFL or NBA. Another option, cheaper. Super Sport Abowhich can be booked for €19.99 per month (as an annual subscription) (monthly subscription cancelable: €24.99) but contains fewer live rights. One of the benefits of DAZN is that you can watch games you missed again on Re-Live at any time. To order:
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Photo credit: PDC
(mk/dj)
