Van Gerwen To Face Sedlacek In Poland Darts Masters Defence

Michael van Gerwen will begin his defence of the Superbet Poland Darts Masters against Czech star Karel Sedlacek, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s World Series of Darts event now confirmed.

The second staging of the Poland Darts Masters will take place at the PreZero Arena Gliwice on June 14-15, as the sport’s biggest names compete for silverware across two days of competition.

Van Gerwen produced averages of 110, 104 and 113 to triumph in the tournament’s inaugural staging in Warsaw last year, and the Dutch supremo will play Czech World Cup star Sedlacek on his return to Polish soil.

Friday’s first round will see eight PDC superstars take on eight East Europe representatives for a place in Saturday’s Finals Day, as top seed Luke Littler also returns to World Series action.

The 17-year-old sensation will make his Poland Darts Masters debut against Sedlacek’s World Cup partner Adam Gawlas, who defeated Littler in their last televised meeting at the 2023 UK Open.

Luke Humphries in action at the Nordic Darts Masters. Image: PDC Darts

The draw also pitted world number one Luke Humphries against Hungarian newcomer György Jehirszki, as the World Champion continues his bid for a maiden World Series of Darts crown.

Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski will also take centre stage on home soil this weekend, and the former World Matchplay semi-finalist kicks off his challenge against Masters champion Stephen Bunting.

Newly crowned US Darts Masters champion Rob Cross begins his bid for a second World Series title in the space of a fortnight against home favourite Sebastian Bialecki – a UK Open quarter-finalist in 2022.

2023 World Champion Michael Smith will also face Polish opposition in Radek Szaganski, who regained his PDC Tour Card earlier this year after winning a Players Championship title in 2023.

Elsewhere, World Matchplay winner Nathan Aspinall plays Croatian trailblazer Boris Krcmar, while two-time World Champion Peter Wright meets Poland’s big stage debutant Jacek Krupka.

Following Friday’s action, the World Series of Darts event will conclude on Saturday evening with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final during a bumper session of action in Gliwice.

The Superbet Poland Darts Masters will be broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).