'Child is way more important than this': Dirk van Duijvenbode balances World Matchplay with looming fatherhood

Dirk van Duijvenbode secured his spot in the second round of the World Matchplay on Sunday with a hard-fought win over Rob Cross—but the Dutchman’s mind isn’t solely on darts this week. Back home, his heavily pregnant girlfriend Saskia awaits the arrival of their second child, making this a tournament week unlike any other.

Ahead of his clash with 2019 champion Cross, Van Duijvenbode admitted he was feeling pressure on two fronts—not just from the oche, but from the prospect of becoming a father again at any moment.

“I had a discussion with someone who’s very into hormones right now,” he joked in an interview with Sportnieuws.nl, referring to Saskia. “At first she wanted me to come back Sunday night. But now she’s said that as long as everything’s calm, I should just stay here.”

That temporary green light gave Van Duijvenbode some breathing room—and his relief was evident after his comeback victory.

“We’ll see. If I have to go back, I’ll go back,” he said. “The biggest pressure was on this first round, because if you don’t win, you get nothing—zero on your ranking. So for me, it was most important just to show up and earn that £10,000. Now that it’s £15,000, thanks to the win, it’s even better. And from here? We’ll see…”

Despite reaching the last 16, Van Duijvenbode was quick to put his sporting success into perspective.

“This is out of my control,” he said of the potential birth. “I think that child is way more important than this tournament. There’s always next year for Matchplay. But your child is only born once in her life—and that’s far more important.”

The couple are expecting a daughter, their second child after son Levi. For now, the “Aubergenius” remains in Blackpool—albeit with one eye constantly checking his phone. His next match is scheduled for Wednesday night, when he’ll face Andrew Gilding in round two.

“If you have to be a bit selfish, I just wanted to throw that first-round match and secure my starting money,” he admitted. “That’s done now—and we’ll see what happens next.”