Luke Humphries and Luke Littler returned to winning ways on the European Tour on Saturday, booking their places in the final day of the 2026 ČEZ Czech Darts Open at the PVA Expo in Prague.
Humphries, a three-time Czech Darts Open champion, produced a sensational display to defeat history-maker Beau Greaves 6-2. Greaves, who became the first woman to win a match on the European Tour with her victory over Daryl Gurney on Friday, started impressively with a 13-darter, but Humphries responded with legs of 12 and 14 darts. After Greaves reduced the deficit to 2-1, Humphries rattled off three consecutive legs before closing out a 6-2 victory with an average just shy of 109.
“I knew I had to play a lot better than last week,” explained Humphries, who suffered a second-round exit at last weekend’s Hungarian Darts Trophy. “48 hours ago I wasn’t sure whether I was going to play; I seem to play better when I have an injury! She’s an amazing player, she pushed me all the way. If I had lost today, I wouldn’t have been disgraced, I would have lost to a really great dart player.” Humphries will now face Andrew Gilding in Sunday’s last 16 after Gilding stunned Nathan Aspinall 6-2, racing into a 5-0 lead before sealing victory with a superb 122 checkout.
World Champion Luke Littler also produced a statement performance, defeating Niko Springer 6-4 with an astonishing 108.59 average. Littler, making his first big-stage appearance since defending his World Matchplay title, established a 5-2 lead before Springer won two consecutive legs to threaten a decider. Littler held his nerve to set up a last-16 meeting with Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski, who beat Jermaine Wattimena 6-2. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a European Tour,” said Littler. “Full credit to Niko. I was 5-2 up and then suddenly it was 5-4 and he was right back in it. I’ve just produced a 108 average, but when I was practicing backstage, I couldn’t hit anything.”
Gian van Veen continued his impressive form with a dominant 6-1 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf, his fourth consecutive win over the same opponent by that scoreline. He will face Ross Smith, the reigning Hungarian Darts Trophy champion, who defeated Stephen Burton 6-1. Welsh duo Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price also progressed, with Clayton beating Damon Heta 6-2 (including finishes of 156 and 124) and Price overcoming Callan Rydz 6-2 with a 103-plus average. Price will face Cameron Menzies, who beat Gary Anderson 6-3, while Clayton meets Keane Barry, who defeated Chris Dobey 6-4.
Michael van Gerwen kept his quest for a maiden Czech Darts Open title alive with a 6-4 win over Mario Vandenbogaerde, setting up a clash with fellow Dutchman Wessel Nijman, who survived a dramatic 6-5 encounter with Martin Schindler. Josh Rock and William O’Connor also advanced, defeating Ryan Joyce and Ryan Searle respectively, while Luke Woodhouse closed Saturday’s action with a 6-4 victory over Stephen Bunting, averaging over 105. Woodhouse will face Danny Noppert, who beat Kevin Doets 6-1. The tournament concludes on Sunday with the last 16 in the afternoon and the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in the evening.
