Michael van Gerwen is out of the 2026 Hungarian Darts Trophy after a 6-4 defeat to Nathan Aspinall in Sunday's last 16 at the MVM Dome. With Luke Humphries already eliminated on Saturday night, Budapest goes into its final session without the two clearest reference points in the draw. This is where the weekend tightens up: the European Tour title will be decided by players in form, but without a completely obvious favourite.
The update matters because it changes the whole read on the evening. On Saturday, the story was built around Humphries' exit and Anderson's threat. On Sunday, the draw lost another heavyweight: Van Gerwen led 3-1, only for Aspinall to take control and win with an average close to 97. According to DartsNews, Aspinall levelled the match with a 100 checkout before closing it out on double 10.
Aspinall knocks out Van Gerwen and opens the lower half
Van Gerwen had started the match properly. An early break, a 3-1 lead and a sense of control in the opening exchanges made the Dutchman look settled. Aspinall then found the right spell at exactly the right time. He disrupted the rhythm, drew level and applied the better pressure in the closing legs.
This was more than a headline win. In a tournament without Luke Littler, with Humphries gone since Saturday and defending champion Niko Springer already out, Van Gerwen's exit removes another major marker from the draw. Aspinall will now face Chris Dobey, who beat Josh Rock 6-3. Dobey finished his match with a 170 checkout, which gives that quarter-final a sharper edge straight away.
Anderson survives the hard way against Bunting
Gary Anderson is still alive, but he had to dig this one out. From 3-0 down against Stephen Bunting, the Scot worked his way back before winning 6-5 in a deciding leg. The score tells the story of the pressure: Bunting made the start, Anderson tightened up, and everything came down to one final visit.
The result extends the main Anderson angle from Saturday, when he posted the day's best average at 105.27. This was not as clean, but the signal is still useful: he survived a proper scare. His quarter-final against Gian van Veen is now the richest tie of the evening session, matching Anderson's experience against the Dutchman's pace.
Van Veen, Chisnall, Noppert and Smith also move on
Gian van Veen confirmed his momentum with a 6-3 win over Jermaine Wattimena. After Saturday's 6-0 win over Nandor Major, he is building a real presence across this Hungarian weekend. At the top of the draw, Dirk van Duijvenbode, who knocked out Humphries on Saturday, followed it with a 6-4 win over Rob Cross.
The picture is more open than it looked at the start. Danny Noppert beat Ryan Searle 6-4, Ross Smith beat Jonny Clayton 6-4, and Dave Chisnall saw off Keane Barry 6-2. For the first major turn of the weekend, our piece on Beau Greaves' near-upset against Rob Cross is still a useful entry point.
Last-16 results and quarter-finals to come
| Last-16 tie | Result |
|---|---|
| Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Rob Cross | Van Duijvenbode 6-4 |
| Ryan Searle vs Danny Noppert | Noppert 6-4 |
| Ross Smith vs Jonny Clayton | Smith 6-4 |
| Dave Chisnall vs Keane Barry | Chisnall 6-2 |
| Jermaine Wattimena vs Gian van Veen | Van Veen 6-3 |
| Stephen Bunting vs Gary Anderson | Anderson 6-5 |
| Michael van Gerwen vs Nathan Aspinall | Aspinall 6-4 |
| Josh Rock vs Chris Dobey | Dobey 6-3 |
| Quarter-final | Quick read |
|---|---|
| Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Danny Noppert | Two Dutch players, with Van Duijvenbode still carrying the Humphries win |
| Ross Smith vs Dave Chisnall | Two heavy scorers who can start very fast |
| Gian van Veen vs Gary Anderson | The standout momentum battle of the evening |
| Nathan Aspinall vs Chris Dobey | Aspinall has just beaten Van Gerwen, Dobey has just finished on 170 |
The title will still be decided on Sunday evening, but the tournament has already changed shape. Humphries out, Van Gerwen out, Springer out: the final session is no longer a simple march for the big names. It looks more like an open sprint, with Anderson and Van Veen providing the standout quarter-final, Aspinall recharged by a major win, and Van Duijvenbode still riding Saturday's breakthrough.
Sources: PDC, Sky Sports, DartsNews.
