It was loud, heated and of the highest calibre: the European Tour returned to Prague, and for three days the world’s best players battled it out in thrilling matches at the PVA Expo.
In sporting terms, it was Luke Littler who came out on top in the end. The world number one celebrated an impressive victory on his return to the European Tour after a break of around six months, securing his sixth title in Europe’s biggest tournament series at the Czech Darts Open.
Littler returns with a strong performance
‘The Nuke’ left no doubt about his form right from the start. In the second round, the Englishman thrilled the fans in Prague with a 6–4 victory over Germany’s Niko Springer, posting a world-class average of 108.59 points. After a solid start to the final day in his round of 16 match against Krzysztof Ratajski – which he won 6–3 despite trailing at one stage – “The Nuke” improved with every round. Things went exactly to plan for Littler in the quarter-final against Danny Noppert: with an average of 102.48, he handed his Dutch opponent a whitewash.
In the semi-final against Michael van Gerwen – who fell well short of his potential in this match – the 19-year-old remained on course and advanced to the final with a 7–3 victory.
In the final, Littler was locked in a thrilling duel with Luke Humphries
In the decider, the two-time world champion faced Luke Humphries, who was competing in Prague as a three-time champion and defending title holder – it was the first time the two opponents had met in a European Tour final. The match turned into a real back-and-forth affair: Littler initially took a 2–0 lead, before Humphries fought back and went ahead 4–3. Littler then regained control with four legs in a row, pulling ahead to 7–4. Humphries, however, refused to give up, closed the gap with two more legs and put Littler under pressure once again. “Cool Hand Luke” missed two darts at the double 16 to force a decider, and in the end the world number one kept his nerve and sealed an 8–6 victory with a finish on the double 10. Both finalists delivered a high-calibre contest, though neither was at their absolute best: Littler recorded an average of 95.25, with Humphries just behind at 94.81.
After his victory, Littler was visibly pleased.
“The crowd deserved this: the world’s top two players facing off in the final. I’m glad I won. It’s great to be back, and I’ve made a spectacular return.”
Humphries, too, had words of praise for the challenge posed by his rival following the narrow defeat in the final.
“I need to be a bit more disciplined again to improve and keep putting him under pressure, because as I keep saying: I’m not currently able to beat him in the final.”
Humphries’ run in Prague only ends in the final
On his way to the final, Humphries had initially managed to continue his fairytale run in the Czech capital. He put in his best performance straight away in the second round against Beau Greaves, when the 2024 world champion shone with an average of 108.98. This was followed on Sunday afternoon by a victory in the last 16 against Andrew Gilding. In the quarter-finals, he beat William O’Connor 6–3, before coming out on top 7–4 against Gerwyn Price in a top-class semi-final clash. Although Humphries ultimately failed to secure his fourth title in Prague, his record at the PVA Expo – 21 wins from 23 matches – remains nothing short of remarkable.
A historic moment for Beau Greaves
Alongside the strong performances of the two world number ones, however, it was one other moment in particular from the weekend that will be remembered for a long time to come. The tournament had already made history on Friday evening: Beau Greaves beat Daryl Gurney 6–4, becoming the first woman ever to win a match on the European Tour. On Saturday, the Englishwoman then faced the reigning champion Luke Humphries, who brought her tournament to an end with an outstanding performance.
The European Tour journey continues
There’s hardly any time for a break, as the darts elite are back in action on the European Tour as early as next week, this time in Antwerp for the Flanders Darts Trophy.
