JOE Cullen was among those to pick up valuable wins at the inaugural PDC Slovak Darts Open as the race for World Matchplay qualification continued in Bratislava.
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.
Meanwhile 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.
The Slovak Darts Open continues from 1200 BST on Saturday, as the seeded stars – including Dutch duo Van Veen and Van Gerwen – enter the fray on Day Two.
Live coverage will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with additional coverage available on CANAL+ SPORT 5 and via the CANAL+ streaming service in Poland.
Coverage will also be broadcast on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers worldwide.
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
Images: Paul Targyik/PDC Europe
