Andy Baetens once again showed he can thrive on a PDC stage on home soil, producing a fine win over Joe Cullen on Friday at the Flanders Darts Trophy. Baetens beat "The Rockstar" 6-3 with an average just shy of 103 at Antwerp Expo.
The strong display did not come out of nowhere. Baetens qualified for this European Tour event via the Host Nation Qualifier. Earlier this year he took the same route at the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze, where he went on to reach the quarter-finals. He has also posted results away from the PDC circuit in recent months, winning a week in the MODUS Super Series. Those performances, he says, are built on heavy practice hours.
"I've been training incredibly hard for this over the past six weeks," Baetens told Het Nieuwsblad after his win over Cullen. "I won MODUS playing at a good level, I was really fired up for that, and then I kept working. Now it was good again, so we have to try and keep this going."
Against Cullen, Baetens had the Belgian crowd behind him from the start. "The Beast from the East" opened strongly and moved 2-0 up. Cullen did claw his way back, but needed finishes of 160 and 100 to do so. Baetens did not flinch. He forced a break and stretched out from 4-2 to 5-3. On double 4, the Belgian sealed it: 6-3.
For Baetens, it underlined again that playing in front of his own fans brings out something extra. "That I always play my best at home? Yes, playing for your own people is always special. But it's hard work. I'm back working full time in the shop (the Spar in Hofstade, ed.), so I have little free time. And that goes almost entirely into practice, putting in the hours."
The Belgian has played the PDC circuit before but currently does not hold a Tour Card. A return to the professional tour is high on his wishlist. "Maybe I'd lost that a bit in the PDC, it's a tough world. But I want to be back there next year with a Tour Card. For now, I want to build towards MODUS Champion's Week and the World Championship qualifier."
For the time being, Baetens combines his darts ambitions with his job at Spar in Hofstade. His win over Cullen shows that balance is not stopping him from competing with established PDC names on stage.
Aside from darts, football plays a big role in Baetens' life. The Belgian is a passionate AA Gent supporter and even has several tattoos of his favourite club. "I always go when I can. If I'm not still in on Sunday, I'll go to the match against Genk." Baetens follows his club closely, although after a good start he does not want to look too far ahead. "Do I believe in the title? They're playing well at the moment, but there's still a long way to go."
