On Sunday afternoon, two surprising teams will compete for the first prize in the men’s pairs tournament. The Dutch duo Buijsman and Den Hartog, along with the Belgian duo Gijbels and Hermans, remained unbeaten in Assen on Friday.

This might be the most important pairs tournament in the world: on Friday, the Dutch Open is all about pairs. Damian Mol and Brian Raman claimed the title last year, and in the past, players such as Raymond van Barneveld, Martin Adams, Mervyn King, and John Henderson have lifted the trophy. More than 2,100 teams entered the tournament, with one team standing out. Vincent van der Voort teamed up with his son Kevin de Bonte Wever, who, after two wins and a loss against Jeffrey Keen and Marvin van Deest, were knocked out.

Mol and Raman chose not to defend their title as a duo, a decision that ultimately didn’t work out. Mol, paired with Danny van Trijp, was eliminated in his first match by Alwyn van Saarloos and Theo van der Stroom, losing 3-2. Raman, paired with Xanti van den Bergh, made it to the last 16 but lost to Patrick Maat and Jorben Nieuwenhuis, who were later defeated by one of the day’s surprises: Koen den Hartog and Klaas Buijsman. This duo capitalized on the elimination of Jimmy van Schie and Jeroen Mioch, then went on to beat Jeffrey de Zwaan and Anoop Ramdajal, reaching the semifinals.

The decisive stage of the tournament had an unexpected twist. Four Dutch teams reached the quarterfinals, but only one made it to the semifinals. Jurjen van der Velde and Jarno Bottenberg were seen as the biggest contenders but were outplayed by the Belgian duo Sybren Gijbels and Dimitri Hermans. This left Den Hartog and Buijsman to carry the Dutch hopes in Assen. Their fairytale did not end on Friday night. After being 3-1 down against a German team, they won three legs in a row, including a 17-darter in the deciding leg, to secure a spot in the final. In the final, they will face the Belgian duo of Gijbels and Hermans. After defeating Bottenberg and Van der Velde in the quarterfinals, they triumphed 4-1 over the Heneghan brothers from Ireland in the semifinals.

Text: Dartsactueel