Dekker and Haavisto Share Opening Nordic & Baltic Honours in Riga

Cor Dekker and Jani Haavisto each claimed titles as the 2026 PDC Nordic & Baltic ProTour season got underway in Riga, Latvia, with the pair sharing the spoils across the opening double-header.

Norwegian star Dekker struck first, lifting the Event One trophy after a dramatic run that culminated in a last-leg victory over Sweden’s Andreas Harrysson. The highlight came in the decider, as Dekker pinned a spectacular 160 checkout to seal the title. His route to glory included emphatic wins over Asko Niskala and Oskars Kuzmans, followed by a whitewash of Darius Labanauskas. Further victories over Alexander Thorvaldsson and Dmitriy Zhukov secured his place at the top of the podium.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PDC.TV

Sunday belonged to Finland’s Jani Haavisto, who marked a remarkable return to competitive darts by claiming the Event Two title. Back in action after an eight-year absence, the former World Cup semi-finalist defeated Oskar Lukasiak 6-4 in the final to capture his eighth Nordic & Baltic crown, and his first since 2014.

Haavisto opened his campaign with wins over Harijs Cinis and Bjorn Lejon, before edging past Harrysson in a deciding-leg thriller. He then produced dominant displays in the latter stages, thumping Teemu Harju 6-1 in the quarter-finals and overcoming Daniel Larsson in another last-leg encounter to complete his comeback triumph.

The weekend also featured European Tour qualifiers, with Haavisto securing a return to the big stage at March’s Belgian Darts Open by defeating Harrysson 6-1 in the ET3 Qualifier. Harrysson, Jonas Masalin and others also booked spots across Events 1-3.

After the opening weekend, Dekker and Haavisto sit in the provisional qualification places for the 2026/27 Paddy Power World Darts Championship.

Source: PDC.TV

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