Tom Sykes Shines On European Tour Debut As World Matchplay Race Heats Up In Bratislava “I know I’ve got the game to beat anyone”
Tom Sykes Shines On European Tour Debut As World Matchplay Race Heats Up In Bratislava “I know I’ve got the game to beat anyone”
Tom Sykes produced a memorable display on his European Tour debut to headline Friday’s opening round action at the inaugural Slovak Darts Open, while the battle for places in next month’s World Matchplay continued to intensify in Bratislava.
The opening day of the season’s ninth European Tour event featured 16 first-round ties at the Incheba Expo, with several players strengthening their credentials ahead of a pivotal weekend in the race to Blackpool.
However, it was Tour Card holder Sykes who stole the spotlight.
The Englishman has enjoyed an impressive first campaign since earning his PDC Tour Card in January, and he delivered another statement performance on the big stage by dispatching Hungarian Darts Trophy champion Niko Springer 6-2.
Competing in his first European Tour match, Sykes showed little sign of nerves as he averaged 103.64, landed 60% of his darts at double and produced a brilliant 148 checkout during a commanding display.
The 33-year-old wrapped up victory with a clinical 103 finish to secure a place in Saturday’s second round, where German number one Martin Schindler awaits.
“That felt good,” admitted Sykes after his breakthrough victory.
“It’s always nice when it works out! I know I’ve got the game to beat anyone. We’ll see what happens tomorrow; hopefully it’s the same again.”
Another player celebrating a landmark moment was Tyler Thorpe, who claimed his first European Tour victory in emphatic fashion.
The 23-year-old powered past home favourite Karel Sedlacek 6-2, averaging 103.30 and firing in four maximums to complete one of the standout performances of the day.
Thorpe’s reward is a second-round clash against seventh seed Chris Dobey, while the defeat dents Sedlacek’s hopes of securing a place in next month’s World Matchplay field.
“I’m just over the moon to be fair,” revealed Thorpe, who is making only his second appearance on the European Tour.
“I love the attention, the crowd, all the noise. It’s completely different to anything.
“If I can do it for the rest of the weekend, who knows how far I can go. Hopefully I can do it again, and again, and again, and we will see how far it goes.”
Canadian veteran Jim Long also enjoyed a milestone victory in Bratislava.
Long registered his first win on the European Tour stage with an impressive 6-1 demolition of Daryl Gurney, producing a composed display to move into round two.
He now faces German Darts Grand Prix champion Nathan Aspinall for a place in the last 16.
Kevin Doets also impressed during Friday’s action, averaging over 102 in a convincing 6-3 victory against Owen Bates.
The Dutchman’s reward is a difficult second-round assignment against Australian number one Damon Heta, who enters the tournament on Saturday.
One of the most anticipated ties of the second round will see Michael van Gerwen begin his challenge.
The three-time World Champion will face Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski after the experienced Pole capitalised on a below-par display from Spain’s Cristo Reyes to advance comfortably.
Van Gerwen arrives in Bratislava following the Netherlands’ run to last weekend’s World Cup of Darts final and will be targeting a record-extending 39th European Tour title.
Elsewhere, Rob Cross continued the momentum gained from his Players Championship 22 success earlier this week.
Fresh from ending his title drought in Wigan on Wednesday, Cross opened his campaign with a 6-3 victory over Slovakian representative Juraj Holub.
The former World Champion now faces one of the toughest tests available in the draw, with top seed Gian van Veen awaiting him in a blockbuster second-round clash between two reigning European Tour champions.
The battle for World Matchplay qualification also remains firmly in focus.
Cameron Menzies strengthened his position in the race to Blackpool with a dominant 6-1 win over Host Nation qualifier Gabriel Varaljay.
The Scot currently occupies the final provisional qualification position for the Winter Gardens and delivered a timely performance ahead of a mouth-watering meeting with Gerwyn Price on Saturday evening.
However, Menzies received no favours elsewhere, as his nearest rival Dave Chisnall also progressed.
The former European Champion looked destined for an early exit before producing a late fightback from 5-4 down to edge past Slovak favourite Adrian Dudek and keep his qualification hopes alive.
Kim Huybrechts is another player still firmly in the World Matchplay conversation.
The Belgian produced a powerful scoring display, landing five 180s on his way to a hard-fought victory over Keane Barry.
Joe Cullen also safely negotiated his opening-round assignment, overcoming Hungarian qualifier Peter Kelemen 6-3 to continue his pursuit of a fourth European Tour title.
Republic of Ireland star William O’Connor booked his place in round two after finishing strongly to defeat Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf by the same scoreline.
Madars Razma continued his recent European Tour success by defeating Dirk van Duijvenbode for the second consecutive event.
The Latvian number one produced one of the finishes of the day, taking out a magnificent 154 checkout during a 6-4 success that earned him a second-round showdown against Danny Noppert.
Earlier in the afternoon, Slovenia’s Benjamin Pratnemer edged past World Championship quarter-finalist Justin Hood in a deciding-leg thriller.
His reward is a meeting with one of the form players on the circuit, Wessel Nijman, who enters the tournament on Saturday following his seventh ranking title of the season earlier this week.
Ryan Joyce, runner-up at last month’s Baltic Sea Darts Open, also progressed after battling through a tough encounter against Johan Engstrom.
Joyce now faces Welsh star Jonny Clayton as he looks to continue another strong European Tour campaign.
Veteran Andrew Gilding joined the list of first-round winners after overcoming former World Championship finalist Mervyn King, while Niels Zonneveld completed a straightforward victory over Slovak qualifier Jan Sliacky.
Attention now turns to Saturday’s second-round action, with the tournament’s seeded stars entering the competition.
Among those beginning their campaigns are top seed Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Jonny Clayton and Nathan Aspinall, as the race for the inaugural Slovak Darts Open title gathers momentum in the Slovakian capital.
Tom Sykes Shines On European Tour Debut As World Matchplay Race Heats Up In Bratislava
2026 Slovak Darts Open
Friday June 19
Round One
Afternoon Session
Benjamin Pratnemer 6-5 Justin Hood
Tyler Thorpe 6-2 Karel Sedlacek
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Mervyn King
Kevin Doets 6-3 Owen Bates
Niels Zonneveld 6-1 Jan Sliacky
William O’Connor 6-3 Jeffrey De Graaf
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Johan Engstrom
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Adrian Dudek
Evening Session
Madars Razma 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Kim Huybrechts 6-4 Keane Barry
Rob Cross 6-3 Juraj Holub
Jim Long 6-1 Daryl Gurney
Tom Sykes 6-2 Niko Springer
Cameron Menzies 6-1 Gabriel Varaljay
Joe Cullen 6-3 Peter Kelemen
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Cristo Reyes
Saturday June 20
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Mike De Decker v William O’Connor
Damon Heta v Kevin Doets
Wessel Nijman v Benjamin Pratnemer
Danny Noppert v Madars Razma
Jermaine Wattimena v Dave Chisnall
Chris Dobey v Tyler Thorpe
Ryan Searle v Kim Huybrechts
Luke Woodhouse v Andrew Gilding
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Nathan Aspinall v Jim Long
Martin Schindler v Tom Sykes
Gerwyn Price v Cameron Menzies
Gian van Veen v Rob Cross
Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski
Jonny Clayton v Ryan Joyce
Stephen Bunting v Niels Zonneveld
Ross Smith v Joe Cullen
