Luke Humphries and Jonny Clayton Star On Day Two At The Swiss Darts Trophy
Luke Humphries and Jonny Clayton Star On Day Two At The Swiss Darts Trophy
Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen and Jonny Clayton delivered standout performances to book their places in Finals Day at the Swiss Darts Trophy, as a dramatic Saturday in Basel saw ten seeded players eliminated.
Newly crowned World Grand Prix champion Humphries was among the biggest names in action at the St. Jakobshalle, surviving a thrilling encounter against Kevin Doets to continue his pursuit of another European Tour title.
The world number two made a blistering start, racing into a 3-0 lead with spectacular finishes of 122 and 121. However, Doets responded emphatically, producing a 105.64 average to drag the contest into a deciding leg.
Humphries ultimately held his nerve to secure a hard-fought victory, averaging almost 103 and converting 67% of his attempts at double.
“I was really pleased with that performance,” Humphries reflected.
“I felt like I was the better player for most of the game, but Kevin was really strong at the end there, so I had to really work my socks off.”
European Champion Van Veen was equally impressive, dismantling Niko Springer with a ruthless display of finishing to complete a whitewash in under ten minutes.
The Dutchman produced three ton-plus checkouts, following back-to-back 107 finishes with a spectacular 164 on the bullseye to underline his quality on the outer ring.
“I finished really well,” Van Veen admitted.
“There wasn’t much between us in the scoring department, but in the fifth leg Niko missed a couple of chances, I took mine and I think that was the story of the match.”
Clayton also made a statement of intent, averaging a superb 108.81 in a dominant victory over Maik Kuivenhoven.
The Welshman showcased his finishing prowess with two bullseye checkouts and will now face former World Champion Rob Cross, who overcame a determined Luke Woodhouse comeback to prevail 6-4.
There will be a new champion crowned in Basel on Sunday, with reigning champion Stephen Bunting and former winner Martin Schindler both falling victim to Saturday’s upsets.
Jeffrey de Graaf produced a clinical performance on the doubles to eliminate Bunting, while Tom Bissell swept aside Schindler to reach Finals Day for the first time in his European Tour career.
Michael van Gerwen was another major casualty, as Mensur Suljovic continued his remarkable recent record against the Dutchman with a fourth consecutive victory over the former world number one.
Dirk van Duijvenbode also maintained his dominance over James Wade, recording a fifth straight win against the left-hander to end his hopes of securing back-to-back European Tour titles.
The Dutchman will now meet Michael Smith in the last 16 after the 2022/23 World Champion produced one of his finest displays of the year to defeat Jermaine Wattimena 6-4.
Smith averaged just shy of 103 and delivered a stunning sequence of consecutive checkouts worth 116, 124 and 144 to seal an impressive victory.
The result also keeps his hopes of qualifying for the Machineseeker European Championship alive as the race for Dortmund intensifies.
Sedlacek remains firmly in contention for a place at the season-ending European Championship after defeating Wessel Nijman to set up a last-16 clash with sixth seed Josh Rock.
Rock edged past Dave Chisnall in a gruelling deciding-leg battle to keep his own title ambitions alive.
Ross Smith, meanwhile, strengthened his position at the top of the European Tour rankings with a 6-4 victory over William O’Connor, despite the Irishman averaging 104 in defeat.
Damon Heta rounded off Saturday’s action in style, claiming a convincing 6-3 win over former UK Open champion Danny Noppert to continue his impressive form on the European Tour circuit.
The Australian number one will face Cristo Reyes on Sunday afternoon after the Spaniard mounted a superb comeback against Ryan Searle, winning four consecutive legs from 4-2 down to turn the match around.
Bradley Brooks produced a similar fightback, punishing Chris Dobey’s struggles on the doubles with a four-leg burst to book a meeting with De Graaf in the last 16.
Elsewhere, top seed Humphries will face Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, who began Saturday with an emphatic 6-2 victory over Swiss number one Stefan Bellmont.
With ten seeds eliminated and several major names already out of contention, the stage is set for a fascinating Finals Day in Basel as the remaining contenders battle for the Swiss Darts Trophy title.
Luke Humphries and Jonny Clayton Star On Day Two At The Swiss Darts Trophy
2026 Swiss Darts Trophy
Saturday October 10
Round Two
Afternoon Session
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Stefan Bellmont
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Wessel Nijman
Rob Cross 6-4 Luke Woodhouse
Tom Bissell 6-4 Martin Schindler
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Ryan Searle
Ross Smith 6-4 William O’Connor
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Chris Dobey
Michael Smith 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Evening Session
Josh Rock 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 James Wade
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Luke Humphries 6-5 Kevin Doets
Gian van Veen 6-0 Niko Springer
Damon Heta 6-3 Danny Noppert
Sunday October 11
Afternoon Session (1200 local time, 1100 BST)
Round Three
Josh Rock v Karel Sedlacek
Jonny Clayton v Rob Cross
Jeffrey de Graaf v Bradley Brooks
Gian van Veen v Tom Bissell
Mensur Suljovic v Ross Smith
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Michael Smith
Damon Heta v Cristo Reyes
Luke Humphries v Krzysztof Ratajski
Evening Session (1800 local time, 1700 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
