Who is Kaya Baysal? The teenage title winner now chasing a World Championship place for Turkey

Kaya Baysal was already winning senior darts tournaments before he was old enough to compete on the PDC Development Tour.

At 14, he claimed a WDF title in Budapest. At 15, he won the JDC Winmau World Masters. Now 16, he has added his first PDC tournament victory to a record that stretches across junior competitions and senior events.

His decision to represent Turkey has brought fresh attention, but the results explain why his name was already attracting interest.

The Burnley player’s progress has included a record previously held by Luke Littler, repeated meetings with fellow teenager Mitchell Lawrie and a comeback in Wigan that delivered another significant first.

Who is Kaya Baysal?

Baysal is a 16-year-old darts player from Burnley, known as “Long Pockets”.

His Target player profile identifies him as a member of Pendle Darts Academy and credits his uncles with introducing him to the sport.

His career has developed across several parts of the darts calendar. He has competed in Junior Darts Corporation events, WDF tournaments and, more recently, the PDC Development Tour.

Those competitions provide different tests. Junior events put him against other emerging players, while senior open tournaments expose him to opponents with far more competitive experience.

His results already include success in both settings. That is the most useful starting point for understanding his rise: Baysal has demonstrated that he can win outside his own age group.

The Budapest victory that broke an age record

Baysal’s breakthrough came at the Budapest Classic in April 2025.

He beat Belgium’s Sybren Gijbels 5–2 in the men’s final, becoming the youngest winner of a senior WDF event.

He was 14, and 13 days younger than Littler had been when setting the previous mark at the 2021 Irish Open. Target’s report from that month also records his victory in the Budapest boys’ competition.

Winning both offered an early indication of his range. He could handle a junior field and then carry that competitiveness into the men’s tournament.

The age record naturally brought comparisons with Littler. Its real significance was more straightforward: Baysal had completed a senior title run while still at an early stage of his development.

That achievement stands on its own. It does not require a prediction about where he will rank in five years.

Beating Mitchell Lawrie on the big stage

Baysal’s meetings with Lawrie have provided some of the clearest measures of his progress.

After losing their Junior World Championship final, he faced the Scot again in the JDC Winmau World Masters final in Milton Keynes in February 2026.

This time Baysal won.

His route included an average above 97 against CJ Ayres in the quarter-finals and 100.2 against Jack Nankervis in the semi-finals, according to Darts News’ tournament report.

In the final, a 121 checkout on the bull helped him take control before he completed victory on double 20.

“To win a title on the big stage, this means a lot,” Baysal said afterwards.

The performance supplied more than another trophy. Strong averages in the closing rounds showed the scoring behind the result, while the final offered a successful response to an earlier defeat against the same opponent.

A senior title and a revealing defeat in Wales

His results in August illustrated both his ability and the competition around him.

Baysal won the Welsh Classic open title at Sand Bay, beating Llew Bevan 6–3 in the final after overcoming Pat Scurfield 5–3 in the semi-finals.

The Welsh Darts Organisation’s results confirm another senior success, extending his record beyond the Budapest breakthrough.

Yet his subsequent Welsh Open youth final against Lawrie was just as revealing.

Baysal averaged 101.38 and still lost.

He had reached that final without dropping a leg. Against Lawrie, he moved 2–0 ahead before the Scot recovered, with the contest eventually going to a deciding leg.

Darts News reported that only two of the seven legs took more than 15 darts. The pair produced seven 180s between them.

For anyone encountering Baysal through a headline about his age, that match supplies useful context. Junior darts can demand a standard at which a three-figure average still leaves a player without the trophy.

It also explains why his meetings with Lawrie are worth following. Both have already made the other work for significant titles.

How he won his first PDC title

Baysal added a PDC success at Development Tour Event 24 in Wigan on 4 October.

His route included victories over Craig Galliano and Owen Bates before a final against Jurjen van der Velde.

Baysal opened with a 13-dart leg, but Van der Velde took the next three to lead 3–1 in a race to five.

The response decided the tournament. Baysal won four consecutive legs, finishing with a 15-darter to secure a 5–3 victory and the £3,000 first prize, as detailed in Darts World’s report.

Coming through that position offers a concrete example of his ability to recover during a final. His opponent was two legs from the title; Baysal won without allowing him another.

Our Development Tour finale report covers the wider outcome of the weekend.

Why is Kaya Baysal representing Turkey?

Baysal has switched his sporting allegiance from England to Turkey.

In a statement reported by talkSPORT, he said the PDC had authenticated his Turkish descent.

He has withdrawn from the junior events in Gibraltar and identified the World Championship qualifier in Slovakia on 28 November as his next major target.

That is an ambition to qualify, rather than confirmation of an Alexandra Palace place.

What comes next?

Baysal now has several different achievements on which to build: senior WDF titles, a major junior trophy and a PDC Development Tour win.

The next test is to keep producing those performances as opportunities become more demanding. A tournament victory demonstrates what a player can deliver over one run; establishing a professional career requires that standard repeatedly.

For readers following his next step, our World Championship qualification guide explains the wider autumn picture.

Baysal has already given himself a substantial record to take into that challenge. Budapest established his ability to win against seniors, Milton Keynes brought a junior title on stage, and Wigan showed he could recover from a difficult position to finish a PDC tournament as champion.

A World Championship place would add another milestone. The career behind that ambition is already worth watching.

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