Humphries Secures Historic Czech Darts Open Hat-Trick

Luke Humphries continued to underline his dominance on the European Tour after clinching a third Gambrinus Czech Darts Open title, overcoming Josh Rock 8-5 in Sunday’s final at the PVA Expo in Prague.

The world number one, cheered on by a passionate 4,000-strong crowd, produced a measured comeback to lift his eighth European Tour trophy and his first ranking crown since June. It was a win that not only reinforced his reputation as the most consistent performer on the continental circuit but also restored the confidence he admitted had dipped in recent months.

Rock Makes the Early Running

The final began with Northern Ireland’s Josh Rock looking the sharper of the two. The 24-year-old punished a tentative start from Humphries, racing into a 3-1 advantage with steady scoring and clinical finishing. Even when Humphries responded with a devastating three-leg burst to edge ahead, Rock displayed his trademark resilience, producing a brilliant 153 checkout in leg eight to square the contest at 4-4.

But when the chance came to level again at six-all, Rock faltered. Three missed darts at double allowed Humphries to pounce, completing a 98 finish before tidying up double ten to wrap up the match. The Englishman’s composure in the closing stages ultimately proved the difference as he retained the crown he had also won in 2022 and 2024.

“I feel a little bit emotional, to be honest,” Humphries admitted afterwards. “Every game I’ve played this weekend I’ve felt the love from the crowd. You don’t win three events in the same venue for no reason, so this is a special tournament for me.”

Road to the Title

Humphries had not produced his best darts on Saturday, squeezing past Dirk van Duijvenbode in a performance he himself called “below par.” But on Finals Day he found an extra gear. He opened with a 6-3 win over Martin Schindler before digging deep against Wessel Nijman, overturning a 5-3 deficit and surviving two match darts in a dramatic turnaround.

That seemed to spark the Humphries of old. In the semi-finals, he averaged just shy of 103 as he swept aside James Wade 7-1, setting up the showdown with Rock. By the time he lifted the trophy, there was a sense that the reigning World Champion had rediscovered the ruthless edge that had carried him to the Premier League crown earlier this year.

“Since I’ve won the Premier League it’s been tough for me, but it felt so good being up here tonight,” Humphries reflected. “Now I feel dangerous again. This is where you need to be at your best – at the back end of the year. If I want to stay world number one, I have to work hard, but I want to be World Champion again. For me, it all starts now.”

Rock’s Impressive Run

While he fell just short in the final, Rock could reflect on another highly encouraging weekend. The Northern Irishman defeated three Dutch stars en route to his second successive European Tour final, including a standout 6-4 victory over home favourite Michael van Gerwen in the last 16.

He followed that up with a ruthless 6-1 win over Jermaine Wattimena – despite the Dutchman averaging 107 – before seeing off Gian van Veen 7-3 in the semi-finals.

“Luke and I didn’t play to our full potential there,” Rock said. “But it’s not every day you make back-to-back European Tour finals, and I’ll get another title soon. I never had a good record here in Prague, but now I’ve improved on that and I’m happy with the last two weekends. I’m starting to be a proper dart player now.”

Dutch Stars Shine

The tournament also saw a breakthrough for Van Veen, who produced one of the performances of the event in ending Luke Littler’s remarkable 19-match winning streak on TV. The young Dutchman defeated the teenage prodigy 6-4 and then whitewashed Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals, despite the Welshman averaging 104.

James Wade, meanwhile, continued his own renaissance, reaching a third consecutive European Tour semi-final after victories over Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith and Stephen Bunting. Bunting himself had earlier edged past 2023 champion Peter Wright to make the last eight.

Looking Ahead

Humphries’ victory in Prague adds another milestone to his growing résumé and could mark the start of another strong run heading into the busiest stage of the calendar. For Rock, back-to-back finals show that his progress towards becoming a consistent force at the very top is gathering pace.

The Winamax European Tour now moves on to Budapest for the Hungarian Darts Trophy from September 19-21, where Van Gerwen will attempt to defend his title. After Prague, though, all eyes are once again on Humphries, who reminded the darting world that he is still very much the man to beat.

Humphries Secures Historic Czech Darts Open Hat-Trick

2025 Gambrinus Czech Darts Open

Sunday September 7

Afternoon Session

Round Three

Luke Humphries 6-3 Martin Schindler

Wessel Nijman 6-3 Rob Cross

Stephen Bunting 6-5 Peter Wright

James Wade 6-4 Ross Smith

Gian van Veen 6-4 Luke Littler

Gerwyn Price 6-4 Jonny Clayton

Josh Rock 6-4 Michael van Gerwen

Jermaine Wattimena 6-3 Ryan Searle

Evening Session

Quarter-Finals

Luke Humphries 6-5 Wessel Nijman

James Wade 6-5 Stephen Bunting

Gian van Veen 6-0 Gerwyn Price

Josh Rock 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena

Semi-Finals

Luke Humphries 7-1 James Wade

Josh Rock 7-3 Gian van Veen

Final

Luke Humphries 8-5 Josh Rock