Peter Wright will begin his defence of the Gambrinus Czech Darts Open against his countryman Cameron Menzies, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s event now confirmed.
The year’s 13th and final European Tour event will take place at the PVA EXPO in Prague from October 18-20, as the race for European Championship qualification concludes in the Czech capital.
The top 32 players on the European Tour Order of Merit following this weekend will qualify for this year’s showpiece in Dortmund, with Nathan Aspinall currently occupying the final qualification place.
Aspinall will be among the headline acts in Friday’s first round, which will be broadcast through PDCTV, Viaplay and DAZN – with 16 matches taking place across two sessions.
Reigning champion Wright also opens his title challenge on Friday evening, as he faces an all-Scottish showdown against Menzies, who is £750 adrift of European Championship qualification.
Dimitri Van den Bergh also faces a fight to seal his place in Dortmund, and the UK Open champion will go head-to-head with world number six Jonny Clayton for a place in round two.
World number two Michael Smith will aim to cement his European Championship qualification when he faces Kevin Doets, while Aspinall kicks off his campaign against Host Nation Qualifier Michal Smejda.
Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney will meet Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld, as newly crowned World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker returns to big stage action against Brett Claydon.
German duo Gabriel Clemens and Florian Hempel will play Brendan Dolan and Alan Soutar respectively, while Callan Rydz – also hunting down Aspinall in the race for European Championship qualification – faces Martin Lukeman.
The 16 seeded players enter the fray in Saturday’s second round, as top seed Dave Chisnall begins his bid for a third European Tour title of 2024 against Robert Owen or Niels Zonneveld.
World number one Luke Humphries will play Ritchie Edhouse or Jiri Brejcha for a place in Sunday’s third round, with second seed Ross Smith pitted against Hempel or Soutar.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler could renew his rivalry with Aspinall in Saturday’s second round, while fifth seed Gerwyn Price will play either Gurney or Van Barneveld in his opener.
Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen will also feature in the Czech capital, as he begins his bid for a record-extending 38th European Tour title against Krzysztof Ratajski or Madars Razma.
De Decker and Claydon will battle it out for the right to take on sixth seed Danny Noppert, as Stephen Bunting meets either Van den Bergh or Clayton in a blockbuster tussle.
Martin Schindler currently tops the European Tour Order of Merit heading into Prague, and the German number one will face Scottish opposition in the form of Wright or Menzies.
Gian van Veen could meet James Wade in a repeat of last year’s European Championship semi-finals, while Ryan Searle plays Doets or Michael Smith for a last 16 berth.
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 blockbuster evening session.
Live coverage of the Czech Darts Open 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 field of players, Gary Anderson and Ryan Joyce have withdrawn and have been replaced from the Reserve List by Madars Razma and Florian Hempel. Rob Cross withdrew after the draw was made, with Kim Huybrechts being a direct replacement in the draw.
Tournament Draw Bracket
Second Round Onwards
Players seeded based on ProTour Order of Merit position
(1) Dave Chisnall v Robert Owen/Niels Zonneveld
(16) Ricardo Pietreczko v Martin Lukeman/Callan Rydz
(8) Stephen Bunting v Dimitri Van den Bergh/Jonny Clayton
(9) Ryan Searle v Kevin Doets/Michael Smith
(4) Josh Rock v Joe Cullen/Pavel Drtil
Kim Huybrechts v Luke Woodhouse/Marko Kantele
(5) Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney/Raymond van Barneveld
(12) Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena/Patrik Kovacs
(2) Ross Smith v Florian Hempel/Alan Soutar
(15) Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski/Madars Razma
(7) Damon Heta v Brendan Dolan/Gabriel Clemens
(10) Luke Littler v Michal Smejda/Nathan Aspinall
(3) Luke Humphries v Ritchie Edhouse/Jiri Brejcha
(14) Gian van Veen v James Wade/Daniel Markovsky
(6) Danny Noppert v Mike De Decker/Brett Claydon
(11) Martin Schindler v Cameron Menzies/Peter Wright
Schedule of Play
Friday October 18
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Robert Owen v Niels Zonneveld
Jermaine Wattimena v Patrik Kovacs
Ritchie Edhouse v Jiri Brejcha
Florian Hempel v Alan Soutar
Krzysztof Ratajski v Madars Razma
Brendan Dolan v Gabriel Clemens
Martin Lukeman v Callan Rydz
Joe Cullen v Pavel Drtil
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Luke Woodhouse v Marko Kantele
James Wade v Daniel Markovsky
Mike De Decker v Brett Claydon
Michal Smejda v Nathan Aspinall
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jonny Clayton
Daryl Gurney v Raymond van Barneveld
Cameron Menzies v Peter Wright
Kevin Doets v Michael Smith
Saturday October 19
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Ricardo Pietreczko v Lukeman/Rydz
Damon Heta v Dolan/Clemens
Chris Dobey v Wattimena/Kovacs
Josh Rock v Cullen/Drtil
Kim Huybrechts v Woodhouse/Kantele
Ross Smith v Hempel/Soutar
Danny Noppert v De Decker/Claydon
Ryan Searle v Doets/M Smith
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Gian van Veen v Wade/Markovsky
Dave Chisnall v Owen/Zonneveld
Gerwyn Price v Gurney/Van Barneveld
Stephen Bunting v Van den Bergh/Clayton
Michael van Gerwen v Ratajski/Razma
Luke Littler v Smejda/Aspinall
Luke Humphries v Edhouse/Brejcha
Martin Schindler v Menzies/Wright
Sunday October 20
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—–
