The Seeds might be joining the party on Saturday at the Slovak Darts Open, but plenty of names that have fought through the opening Round will feel they are playing well enough to reach the final day at this latest European Tour event.
It is another busy day and the fans get to enjoy two different Sessions with the biggest names beginning their run for this title in the Evening Session.
However, there are some quality looking matches in the Day Session as well as the Second Round is completed over several hours and there should be plenty of good Darts to enjoy.
Kevin Doets to win & over 3.5 match 180s v Damon Heta: There was little to write home about for the Australia World Cup team, at least where the Darts are concerned, but Damon Heta showed decent form on the floor last week.
He is a Seeded player, but it would be an upset if he was to get the better of Kevin Doets, according to the layers if not the player himself.
Damon Heta is going to need to score well to keep up with Kevin Doets who continues to produce a high level and consistently, which makes him tough to beat.
Earlier this season, Heta was able to turn up the heat on Kevin Doets and beat him at a European Tour event played in March, but it is the Dutchman who has elevated his level over the last couple of months. Kevin Doets continues to play well on the floor, but he has gained confidence in these European Tour events in front of big crowds and the expectation is that he will edge to the win.
However, Damon Heta can play his part in the maximum hitting department and both players are capable of combining for at least four in a match that is ultimately won by Kevin Doets.
Chris Dobey to win & most 180s v Tyler Thorpe: Anyone who saw Tyler Thorpe rack up the power scoring and big finishing in his First Round win will have found a new respect for the young player, but he is still finding his feet on the Tour.
While the experience will help in the development, Thorpe is going to have to do something special to match the kind of level he produced in Friday.
He will also be put under pressure by Chris Dobey, who is a big maximum hitter in his own right, and that could see Tyler Thorpe struggle to maintain his confidence in this Second Round match.
It took a couple of very big efforts to beat Chris Dobey on the floor in the two Players Championship events played earlier this week and that kind of form would be enough to see him past this opponent and likely with a win in the maximum hitting department too.
Ryan Searle-Kim Huybrechts over 5.5 180s: When these two players met at European Tour 7 in the International Darts Open, it ended in a routine win for Ryan Searle.
However, it was a match filled with some serious quality as Searle and Kim Huybrechts shared out eight maximums and there was a lot to like about the Huybrechts performance on Friday.
This is a player desperate to put together a couple of big runs that will earn him a spot at the World Matchplay and Kim Huybrechts will feel he could have turned things around against Ryan Searle at the end of May with stronger finishing.
Ryan Searle would suggest otherwise having put a 99 average on the board despite missing ten attempts at doubles and he had three maximums to Kim Huybrecht's five to give as good as he got in that previous meeting.
You have to expect more resistance from Kim Huybrechts in this one and that should allow for enough Legs to be played to reach at least six maximums between two players capable of peppering the treble 20 bed.
Only seven Legs were needed to provide eight maximums at the end of May, but this should be closer and the power scoring should be clearly on display.
Luke Woodhouse - 1.5 games v Andrew Gilding: It doesn't feel that long ago that Luke Woodhouse would have been playing on the opening day of any European Tour event, but he is Seeded here in Slovakia and the recent form has been of a very high level.
Andrew Gilding knows all about that having lost a Players Championship Final against Luke Woodhouse in May and then later in the same month being beaten by the same player in another European Tour event.
A solid win over Mervyn King has pushed Andrew Gilding into the Second Round, but he will be aware that he needs to improve his scoring if he is going to beat the World Number 17.
Luke Woodhouse played well at Players Championship 21 on Tuesday and he will be feeling really confident in his current game.
He actually went on to win the European Tour 8 event at the end of May to add to his recent collection of titles and Luke Woodhouse has the perfect scoring and finishing balance to believe he will have too much for Goldfinger in this Second Round meeting.
Michael van Gerwen to win & most 180s v Krzysztof Ratajski: You just know that the Polish Eagle is never going to be an easy out in any match on the Tour and Krzysztof Ratajski has a win under his belt on this stage.
That is going to give him confidence as he prepares to try and earn an upset over Michael van Gerwen and Ratajski does have a win over the former World Champion on the floor this year.
However, it was Michael van Gerwen who averaged over 100 when they met on the European Tour, although credit has to be given to Krzysztof Ratajski for making that a competitive match thanks to his 99 average.
Ultimately Michael van Gerwen won and he played well in the World Cup of Darts, while also winning the Nordic Dart Masters when last out in Singles action. The former power of being the dominant force on the Tour may be behind van Gerwen, but there have been enough signs in 2026 to suggest he can win a major title sooner than later.
There are some huge events coming up and the recent form of Michael van Gerwen suggests he is capable of completing the Match Double on the way to the Third Round in Slovakia.
Jonny Clayton to win & most 180s v Ryan Joyce: At the end of May, Relentless Ryan Joyce reached the European Tour 8 Final before coming up short against Luke Woodhouse, but the form since then has been much more inconsistent.
A First Round win will have just given Ryan Joyce a boost, but he will also be aware that he is facing a player who will be playing in Slovakia with a real belief that he can win the title.
Jonny Clayton's levels have been very high all year and he has been producing consistent results after consistent results.
These two players did split two meetings on the Tour in 2025, but Jonny Clayton is the bigger scorer and he showed his confidence in the World Cup of Darts when almost leading Wales to an upset of England. Doing that without Gerwyn Price highlights the kind of standards Clayton is setting this season and he may just have enough to produce a couple of maximums to help get the Match Double over the line in this Second Round match.
Ross Smith to win & over 2.5 180s v Joe Cullen: You never know what you are going to get from Joe Cullen and that makes him dangerous.
At his best he is capable of matching the power scoring of any player on the Tour, but there are too many days when Joe Cullen is not at his best.
He has come through a First Round match in Slovakia, but taking on a confident Ross Smith is a different kind of challenge and especially after the higher Ranked player won a European Tour title (finally) and a Players Championship event over the last month.
Those victories will make Ross Smith feel his hard work has been rewarded and he continues to be a big maximum hitter, but now backing it up with solid finishing and holding himself together mentally when the big moments have come up will certainly add to the belief. Winning titles will change the mindset and Ross Smith could become even more dangerous than he is already over the coming months as the Majors are played.
Joe Cullen will certainly push Smudger, but Ross Smith can showcase his scoring ability on his way through to the final day at the Slovak Darts Open.
MY PICKS: Kevin Doets to Win & Over 3.5 Match 180s @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Chris Dobey to Win & Most 180s @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Ryan Searle-Kim Huybrechts Over 5.5 180s @ 2.10 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Luke Woodhouse - 1.5 Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Michael van Gerwen to Win & Most 180s @ 2.75 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Jonny Clayton to Win & Most 180s @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Ross Smith to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Slovak Darts Open: 2-2, - 0.29 Units (4 Units Staked, - 7.25% Yield)
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