Dave Chisnall will begin his defence of the Hungarian Darts Trophy against Michael Smith or Jonny Clayton, with the draw and schedule confirmed for this weekend’s European Tour event.
The fourth staging of the £175,000 event will take place at the MVM Dome in Budapest from September 20-22, as the sport’s biggest names compete for silverware in the Hungarian capital.
This weekend’s action will see defending champion Chisnall chasing back-to-back European Tour titles following his victory in the inaugural Flanders Darts Trophy a fortnight ago, as Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen also headline the 48-player field.
Friday’s first round – which will be broadcast through PDCTV, Viaplay and DAZN – will feature 16 matches across two sessions, as 2023 World Champion Smith faces former Premier League champion Clayton in a blockbuster showdown.
Peter Wright will aim to continue his resurgence when he takes on 2022 Hungarian Darts Trophy winner Joe Cullen, while Nathan Aspinall continues his comeback from injury against Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski.
Dimitri Van den Bergh and Andrew Gilding – the two most recent UK Open champions – lock horns for the second consecutive European Tour event, as Dirk van Duijvenbode goes up against German number two Gabriel Clemens.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld meets an in-form Ritchie Edhouse for a place in Saturday’s second round, while ten-time TV title winner James Wade plays Lukas Wenig in his opener.
Jim Williams and Alan Soutar go head-to-head in Friday evening’s opening fixture, with Luke Woodhouse pitted against World Championship semi-finalist Scott Williams in another intriguing tie.
The 16 seeded players enter the action in Saturday’s second round stage, as top seed Chisnall plays Smith or Clayton in a heavyweight clash.
World number one Humphries – a runner-up to Chisnall 12 months ago – faces Van Duijvenbode or Clemens, as second seed Ross Smith prepares to take on either Van Barneveld or Edhouse for a last 16 berth.
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen – fresh from his Players Championship success in Wigan on Wednesday – begins his title challenge against Brendan Dolan or Martin Lukeman, as he sets his sights on a record-extending 37th European Tour crown.
Host Nation Qualifier Gyorgy Jehirszki and Dutch star Wessel Nijman will do battle for the right to take on 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, with fifth seed Danny Noppert poised to meet Ratajski or Aspinall.
The winner of Wright and Cullen’s clash will progress to a showdown against Damon Heta, while 2018 World Champion Rob Cross has been handed a tough assignment against either Van den Bergh or Gilding.
Austrian Darts Open winner Josh Rock will open his challenge for a second European Tour title of 2024 against Wade or Wenig, as German number one Martin Schindler plays Williams or Soutar in his second round tie.
Following Saturday’s second round, the last 16 will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
Live coverage of all 2024 European Tour events will be streamed through Viaplay, and through DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers’ worldwide.
NB: From the original entries, Luke Littler and Ryan Joyce have withdrawn from the event, while Leighton Bennet is ineligible, therefore they are replaced from the Reserve List by Alan Soutar, Niels Zonneveld and Jim Williams.
2024 Hungarian Darts Trophy
September 20-22, Budapest
Tournament Draw Bracket
(Second Round Onwards)
Players seeded based on ProTour Order of Merit position
(1) Dave Chisnall v Michael Smith/Jonny Clayton
(16) Daryl Gurney v Florian Hempel/Callan Rydz
(8) Damon Heta v Peter Wright/Joe Cullen
(9) Ryan Searle v Alberto Bezjian/Andras Csoka
(4) Gerwyn Price v Gyorgy Jehirszki/Wessel Nijman
(13) Chris Dobey v Luke Woodhouse/Scott Williams
(5) Danny Noppert v Krzysztof Ratajski/Nathan Aspinall
(12) Gian van Veen v Darren Beveridge/Keane Barry
(2) Ross Smith v Raymond van Barneveld/Ritchie Edhouse
(15) Ricardo Pietreczko v Sebastian Bialecki/Niels Zonneveld
(7) Stephen Bunting v Janos Vegso/Cor Dekker
(10) Martin Schindler v Jim Williams/Alan Soutar
(3) Luke Humphries v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Gabriel Clemens
(14) Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan/Martin Lukeman
(6) Josh Rock v James Wade/Lukas Wenig
(11) Rob Cross v Dimitri Van den Bergh/Andrew Gilding
Schedule of Play
Friday September 20
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Darren Beveridge v Keane Barry
Sebastian Bialecki v Niels Zonneveld
Gyorgy Jehirszki v Wessel Nijman
Florian Hempel v Callan Rydz
Janos Vegso v Cor Dekker
Brendan Dolan v Martin Lukeman
Alberto Bezjian v Andras Csoka
James Wade v Lukas Wenig
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Jim Williams v Alan Soutar
Luke Woodhouse v Scott Williams
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Gabriel Clemens
Krzysztof Ratajski v Nathan Aspinall
Peter Wright v Joe Cullen
Raymond van Barneveld v Ritchie Edhouse
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Andrew Gilding
Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
Saturday September 21
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Ricardo Pietreczko v Bialecki/Zonneveld
Gian van Veen v Beveridge/Barry
Ryan Searle v Bezjian/Csoka
Daryl Gurney v Hempel/Rydz
Stephen Bunting v Vegso/Dekker
Chris Dobey v Woodhouse/S Williams
Martin Schindler v J Williams/Soutar
Josh Rock v Wade/Wenig
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Danny Noppert v Ratajski/Aspinall
Damon Heta v Wright/Cullen
Dave Chisnall v M Smith/Clayton
Gerwyn Price v Jehirszki/Nijman
Ross Smith v Van Barneveld/Edhouse
Luke Humphries v Van Duijvenbode/Clemens
Michael van Gerwen v Dolan/Lukeman
Rob Cross v Van den Bergh/Gilding
Sunday September 22
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Third Round
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
