Tom Sykes (Photo PDC)
Tom Sykes enjoyed a dream European Tour debut with victory over Niko Springer at the inaugural Slovak Darts Open last night, as the race for World Matchplay qualification continued in Bratislava.
The 33-year-old has impressed since claiming his PDC Tour Card in January, and he reaffirmed his credentials with a sparkling 6-2 success against Hungarian Darts Trophy champion Springer.
Sykes averaged 103.64, pinned 60% of his attempts at double and converted a sublime 148 checkout to set up a showdown against German number one Martin Schindler on Saturday.
“That felt good,” admitted Sykes, who sealed victory with a clinical 103 kill.
“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.”
Tyler Thorpe also delivered the goods in Bratislava, celebrating his maiden European Tour victory with a comprehensive 6-2 triumph against Karel Sedlacek.
The 23-year-old averaged 103.30 and crashed in four 180s to move through to a meeting against Chris Dobey, while also dealing a blow to Sedlacek’s hopes of World Matchplay qualification.
“I’m just over the moon to be fair,” revealed Thorpe, featuring in his second European Tour event.
“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.”
Jim Long joined Sykes and Thorpe in recording a milestone win at the Incheba Expo, dispatching Daryl Gurney 6-1 to register his first win on the European Tour stage.
The Canadian veteran will now take on Nathan Aspinall for a place in the last 16, while Kevin Doets faces Australian number one Damon Heta, after averaging north of 102 in his 6-3 win over Owen Bates.
Poland’s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski will meet Dutch superstar Michael van Gerwen in another blockbuster tie, punishing a profligate display from Spanish number one Cristo Reyes to ease through.
Friday’s opening day also saw Rob Cross begin his bid for back-to-back ranking titles with a 6-3 success against Slovakia’s Juraj Holub, having prevailed at Players Championship 22 on Wednesday.
Top seed Gian van Veen now awaits a revitalised Cross on Saturday evening, as the pair go head-to-head in a battle of the European Champions.
Scotland’s World Cup star Cameron Menzies boosted his hopes of World Matchplay qualification with a crushing 6-1 win over Host Nation qualifier Gabriel Varaljay, which sets up an intriguing showdown against Gerwyn Price on Saturday evening.
Menzies currently occupies the final provisional place in July’s event, although his closest challenger Dave Chisnall also tasted victory on Day One, overturning a 5-4 deficit to edge past home favourite Adrian Dudek.
Kim Huybrechts is another high-profile name in contention for a place in next month’s Blackpool showpiece, after firing in five 180s to fend off the challenge of Keane Barry.
Elsewhere, Joe Cullen overcame a spirited display from Hungarian qualifier Peter Kelemen to record a 6-3 victory, while William O’Connor produced a late spurt to sink Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf by the same scoreline.
Madars Razma claimed back-to-back European Tour victories at the expense of Dirk van Duijvenbode to book a meeting against another Dutch star Danny Noppert, conjuring a magnificent 154 finish along the way.
Earlier in the day, Slovenia’s Benjamin Pratnemer denied World Championship quarter-finalist Justin Hood in a decider, and his reward is an encounter against Wessel Nijman on Saturday afternoon.
Ryan Joyce – runner-up at last month’s Baltic Sea Darts Open – came through an attritional affair against Johan Engstrom, and Welsh number one Jonny Clayton provides Joyce’s next assignment on Saturday evening.
Andrew Gilding also progressed in Slovakia, accounting for Mervyn King in a clash of the darting veterans, as Niels Zonneveld swept aside a struggling Jan Sliacky in his opener.
ROUND ONE RESULTS
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
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
