Flanders Darts Trophy Opens With Shocks as Baetens Upsets Cullen and Heta Edges Greaves

The 2026 Blåkläder Flanders Darts Trophy opened with a surge of high-quality upsets at the Antwerp Expo on Friday, September 11. The thirteenth event of the European Tour season serves as the final opportunity for players to secure ranking points for the upcoming World Grand Prix in Leicester, and the pressure produced a string of dramatic deciding-leg thrillers.[1][2]

The headline performance of the evening session belonged to Belgian local hero Andy Baetens, who sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a 6-3 victory over former Masters champion Joe Cullen. Baetens carried his blistering form from Thursday's Host Nation Qualifier straight onto the main stage, dismantling the established PDC star with relentless scoring.[1][2]

Baetens averaged a superb 102.70 against Cullen, crashing in four 180s and converting 50 percent of his attempts at double. Cullen fought valiantly, producing a spectacular 160 checkout, but his 93.98 average was simply not enough to match the Belgian's sustained barrage.[1]

The result was not entirely unexpected for those watching closely. Baetens had already delivered a warning shot on Thursday, averaging above 103 to eliminate former UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh during his qualification run. His reward for Friday's upset is a second-round meeting with Ryan Searle.[1]

Equally compelling was the clash between Australian number one Damon Heta and Beau Greaves. Greaves, who made history the previous week by becoming the first woman to win a match on the European Tour at the Czech Darts Open, pushed the world number 23 to the absolute limit before falling 6-5.[1][2]

Heta appeared to be cruising after establishing leads of 4-1 and 5-2. However, Greaves demonstrated her trademark resilience, reeling off three consecutive legs to force an 11th and deciding leg. She ultimately finished the match with a higher average than Heta—92.96 to 90.62—and registered a brilliant 121 checkout.[1]

Following his narrow escape, Heta joked about their frequent meetings, noting they have played six times this year. "Man, these draws are rigged," Heta remarked with a smile, before turning serious to praise his opponent. "Everyone knows the class of Beau Greaves."[1]

The Antwerp crowd experienced heartbreak elsewhere, as Sebastian Bialecki survived a deciding leg to defeat Belgian veteran Kim Huybrechts 6-5. Bialecki produced one of the moments of the night, silencing the arena with a flawless 170 checkout—the highest possible finish—en route to his victory.[1][2]

Canadian Jim Long delivered another significant shock in the evening session, comfortably dispatching Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld 6-2. Meanwhile, Gabriel Clemens continued his solid return to form by seeing off Cameron Menzies 6-4.[1][2]

The afternoon session was equally fraught with tension. Chris Landman produced a notable upset by edging former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 6-5. Gilding hit four maximums and averaged 92.50, but his finishing proved disastrous; he converted just five of 21 attempts at double, allowing Landman to capitalize with a crucial 124 checkout.[1][2]

Rob Cross supplied the highest average of the opening day, posting a 104.64 in a clinical 6-3 victory over Cristo Reyes to bounce back from a first-round exit in Prague the previous week. Kevin Doets also impressed, dismantling James Hurrell 6-1 with a 99.29 average.[1][2]

With the 16 first-round matches concluded, the qualifiers now advance to Saturday's second round, where the top 16 seeded players—including Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, and Gian van Veen—enter the tournament to battle for the £35,000 top prize.[2]