World Series of Darts Finals

The twelfth edition of the World Series of Darts Finals was held at AFAS Live in Amsterdam from September 17th to 20th. A total of 32 players competed for the prestigious World Series title and a share of the £450,000 prize fund. At the end of the weekend, it was Ross Smith who lifted the trophy for the first time after defeating Gerwyn Price 11–5 in the final.

In the second round, Ross Smith continued his impressive form. After averaging 102.98 against Doets in his opening match, he defeated Daryl Gurney 10–5 to reach the quarter-finals. Gian van Veen also continued his run with a 10–7 victory over Karel Sedláček, while Van Duijvenbode caused an upset by edging out Luke Humphries 10–9. Nijman was unable to join them in the last eight, losing 10–7 to James Wade. Littler was also pushed all the way by Nathan Aspinall but survived a deciding leg to win 10–9.

In the quarter-finals, Smith faced Josh Rock. The Englishman continued his strong tournament with a 10–7 victory to reach the last four. Van Veen ensured there would be Dutch representation in the semi-finals by defeating fellow countryman Van Duijvenbode 10–8, having recovered from 8–6 behind. Gerwyn Price averaged over 103 in a 10–7 victory against James Wade, while Jonny Clayton produced the biggest result of the round, defeating world number one Luke Littler 10–4.

The semi-finals saw Smith face the last remaining Dutchman, Gian van Veen. Smith hit seven 180s and two ton-plus finishes on his way to an 11–8 victory, securing only the second major televised final of his career. On the other side of the draw, the two Welsh World Cup partners met each other. Price proved too strong for Clayton and won 11–7, setting up a final between Price and Smith.

The final remained close during the opening stages. Smith held a 5–3 lead, but Price responded strongly and an 11-darter helped the Welshman level the contest at 5–5. From that point, Smith produced a brilliant run of six consecutive legs, including back-to-back checkouts of 123 and 127, while Price began to struggle on the doubles. Smith eventually found double 16 to complete an emphatic 11–5 victory.

Smith saved one of his best performances for the final, averaging 103.89, hitting 11 maximums and converting 46 percent of his attempts at doubles. Price, who had averaged over 103 in both his quarter-final and semi-final victories, was unable to maintain that level in the title match.

With this victory, Ross Smith claimed his first World Series of Darts Finals title and the second major televised title of his career, four years after winning the 2022 European Championship. He also collected the £100,000 winner's prize and became the sixth different player to win the World Series of Darts Finals.