Michael Smith Returns to European Tour With a Victory as Stefan Bellmont Makes Basel History
Michael Smith Returns to European Tour With a Victory as Stefan Bellmont Makes Basel History
Michael Smith marked his return to European Tour action tonight with a gritty 6-4 comeback win over Rob Owen, who will rue a string of missed chances to take control.
Smith opened with a slick 12-dart hold, but the Welshman hit back with three straight legs, sealing the run with a superb 100 checkout via two double tops. The match turned in the fifth: Owen missed seven darts to go 4-1 up, and although Smith also struggled on the outer ring, he eventually found double two to escape.
That was the spark he needed. Two more legs followed, including a 15-dart hold, to put him 4-3 in front. Owen levelled, but two missed darts at tops in the ninth let the former world champion back in, and Smith took his chance, moving within a leg of victory before finishing the job with an 80 checkout on double ten. He averaged 90.94.
Karel Sedlacek kept his European Championship qualification hopes alive on the opening day of the Swiss Darts Trophy, while home favourite Stefan Bellmont delighted the Basel crowd with a memorable victory on Friday.
The action began at the St. Jakobshalle, with Sedlacek among those battling for crucial ranking points ahead of the European Championship in Dortmund later this month.
The Czech came through a tough encounter against Sebastian Bialecki, recovering from 4-3 down to claim a 6-4 victory with an average above 100.
A pivotal moment came when Sedlacek landed a superb 86 checkout on the bullseye to secure the first break of throw in the contest, before closing out the win.
“I was waiting for my chance and I hit the bull. Super,” Sedlacek reflected, ahead of his second-round meeting with Wessel Nijman.
“The chance [for Dortmund] is still alive, I think I’m still alive too, we will see.
“I think my last match against Wessel was perfect for me, so we will see tomorrow.”
Bellmont provided one of the evening’s biggest stories, becoming only the third Swiss player to win a match at the Swiss Darts Trophy with an impressive 6-3 success against former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.
Competing in the tenth European Tour event of his career, the 37-year-old recovered from a difficult start by rattling off five consecutive legs to secure a memorable victory on home soil.
The Swiss star will now face Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski as he looks to continue his run in front of his home supporters.
“Playing in front of your home crowd is very special and I wanted to win so much,” Bellmont said.
“There were quite a few nerves in the early stages of the match, but thankfully I was able to raise my game.
“I know I will have to play better tomorrow but for now I just want to enjoy this amazing moment.”
Rob Cross once again caught the eye, continuing his impressive form with a 105.95 average in a 6-3 victory over Mario Vandenbogaerde.
Having impressed at the World Grand Prix, Cross will now take on Luke Woodhouse as he looks to carry that momentum into Saturday’s action.
Bradley Brooks was another player to deliver an outstanding performance, averaging over 100 in a 6-4 win against World Grand Prix quarter-finalist Niels Zonneveld.
Both players averaged above the ton mark and shared 13 maximums in an entertaining contest, but Brooks held his nerve to progress.
The former World Youth Champion has now won all four of his opening-round matches on the European Tour this year and will face Chris Dobey for a place in the last 16.
Maik Kuivenhoven also enjoyed a significant breakthrough, ending a losing run in Basel that had lasted almost five years with a 6-3 victory over compatriot Raymond van Barneveld.
The result denied Van Barneveld a first European Tour victory of the season, while Dave Chisnall and Tom Bissell both survived deciding-leg battles against Alan Soutar and Joe Cullen respectively.
For Bissell, the victory marked just the second European Tour win of his career. It also dealt a blow to Cullen’s hopes of qualifying for the European Championship, with the former Masters champion sitting just outside the qualification places.
Cristo Reyes recorded his first European Tour victory since May in convincing fashion, averaging 98 in a 6-3 success against Cameron Menzies. The Spaniard will now meet Ryan Searle in the second round.
Mensur Suljovic proved too strong for Gyorgy Jehirszki, despite the Hungarian landing two ton-plus checkouts, as the Austrian secured a 6-3 win to earn a meeting with Michael van Gerwen.
There was further disappointment for the home contingent, with Roman Wellinger, Bruno Stoeckli and Alex Fehlmann all falling short of victories on Swiss soil.
Wellinger was beaten by Niko Springer, Stoeckli lost to Dirk van Duijvenbode, while Fehlmann was defeated by Damon Heta.
William O’Connor and Jeffrey de Graaf also progressed comfortably, overcoming Jani Haavisto and Sietse Lap respectively, before Kevin Doets rounded off the evening with a solid 6-3 win against late replacement Nick Kenny.
The Swiss Darts Trophy continues on Saturday with a bumper double session, as the tournament’s 16 seeded players enter the competition and the race for a place in Sunday’s finals day intensifies.
Michael Smith Returns to European Tour With a Victory as Stefan Bellmont Makes Basel History
2026 Swiss Darts Trophy
Friday October 9
Round One
Afternoon Session
Bradley Brooks 6-4 Niels Zonneveld
William O’Connor 6-1 Jani Haavisto
Mensur Suljovic 6-3 Gyorgy Jehirszki
Karel Sedlacek 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Niko Springer 6-1 Roman Wellinger
Tom Bissell 6-5 Joe Cullen
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Rob Cross 6-3 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Evening Session
Stefan Bellmont 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Jeffrey de Graaf 6-4 Sietse Lap
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Alan Soutar
Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Bruno Stoeckli
Michael Smith 6-4 Rob Owen
Damon Heta 6-2 Alex Fehlmann
Kevin Doets 6-3 Nick Kenny
Saturday October 10
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Krzysztof Ratajski v Stefan Bellmont
Wessel Nijman v Karel Sedlacek
Luke Woodhouse v Rob Cross
Martin Schindler v Tom Bissell
Ryan Searle v Cristo Reyes
Ross Smith v William O’Connor
Chris Dobey v Bradley Brooks
Jermaine Wattimena v Michael Smith
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Josh Rock v Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting v Jeffrey De Graaf
James Wade v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Jonny Clayton v Maik Kuivenhoven
Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic
Luke Humphries v Kevin Doets
Gian van Veen v Niko Springer
Danny Noppert v Damon Heta
