Smith Dominates Hungarian Darts Trophy, Defeating Anderson in Final

Ross Smith secured the Hungarian Darts Trophy title with a commanding 8-2 victory over Gary Anderson in the final. This marks Smith's second European Tour title of the year. Smith delivered a near-perfect performance, averaging 101 and converting 73% of his double attempts, leaving Anderson with no chance to recover.

Smith demonstrated consistent scoring throughout the tournament, beginning with a 101 average against William O'Connor, which included high checkouts of 116 and 112. He advanced by defeating Jonny Clayton 6-4 in the last 16 and then dismantled the 2023 champion Dave Chisnall 6-2 in the quarter-finals. His semi-final match was a dominant 7-3 win against Danny Noppert, ensuring he entered the final with a performance advantage.

Despite his loss in the final, Gary Anderson's resurgence was a significant storyline of the weekend. The two-time world champion, who had not won a European Tour event in 2026 prior to this tournament, began with an impressive 105.27 average in his 6-2 defeat of Krzysztof Ratajski. Anderson then navigated several close encounters, including recovering from a 3-0 deficit to beat Stephen Bunting and Gian van Veen in deciding legs. His semi-final against Nathan Aspinall was a thrilling 7-6 victory where Anderson survived five match darts and hit a 160 checkout to stay in contention, though the final proved to be one challenge too many.

The finals day in Budapest was marked by several upsets. Nathan Aspinall eliminated Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in the last 16, coming back from a deficit. This followed earlier exits of top seed Luke Humphries and defending champion Niko Springer. Aspinall had a difficult path to the semi-finals, scraping through matches by capitalizing on numerous double opportunities and hitting a crucial 156 checkout in his quarter-final against Chris Dobey.

Chris Dobey also had to overcome deficits, including a comeback from 4-0 down to beat Tom Sykes and a 170 finish to defeat Josh Rock. Dirk van Duijvenbode ended a losing streak against Humphries and reached the quarter-finals, only to be defeated by Noppert. Springer's title defense ended early, and with other top seeds out, Van Veen was the highest remaining seed until Anderson eliminated him.

Hungarian Darts Trophy Results Summary

Final: Ross Smith 8-2 Gary Anderson

Semi-Finals: Ross Smith 7-3 Danny Noppert; Gary Anderson 7-6 Nathan Aspinall

Quarter-Finals: Danny Noppert 6-5 Dirk van Duijvenbode; Ross Smith 6-2 Dave Chisnall; Gary Anderson 6-5 Gian van Veen; Nathan Aspinall 6-5 Chris Dobey

Round Three: Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-4 Rob Cross; Danny Noppert 6-4 Ryan Searle; Ross Smith 6-4 Jonny Clayton; Dave Chisnall 6-2 Keane Barry; Gian van Veen 6-3 Jermaine Wattimena; Gary Anderson 6-5 Stephen Bunting; Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Michael van Gerwen; Chris Dobey 6-3 Josh Rock

Round Two: Ross Smith 6-2 William O'Connor; Dave Chisnall 6-2 Wessel Nijman; Jermaine Wattimena 6-4 Andrew Gilding; Danny Noppert 6-4 Ritchie Edhouse; Ryan Searle 6-4 Niko Springer; Rob Cross 6-5 Luke Woodhouse; Gary Anderson 6-2 Krzysztof Ratajski; Chris Dobey 6-5 Tom Sykes; Stephen Bunting 6-1 Jonas Masalin; Jonny Clayton 6-3 Laszlo Kadar; Keane Barry 6-2 Madars Razma; Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Luke Humphries; Michael van Gerwen 6-4 James Hurrell; Gian van Veen 6-0 Nandor Major; Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Ryan Joyce; Josh Rock 6-0 Joe Cullen

Round One: Jonas Masalin 6-4 Kevin Doets; Andrew Gilding 6-0 Milan Biro; Ritchie Edhouse 6-1 Connor Scutt; Niko Springer 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven; William O'Connor 6-2 Samuel Price; Keane Barry 6-2 Martin Schindler; Ryan Joyce 6-3 Cristo Reyes; Dave Chisnall 6-3 Andras Borbely; Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-1 David Pisek; Laszlo Kadar 6-5 Daryl Gurney; Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Callan Rydz; Joe Cullen 6-3 Adam Leek; Rob Cross 6-5 Beau Greaves; Nandor Major 6-5 Niels Zonneveld; Tom Sykes 6-1 Cameron Menzies; James Hurrell 6-5 Damon Heta