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.
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
