Preview Friday afternoon Flanders Darts Trophy: Van Veen, Menzies and Gilding v Suljovic among highlights

From Friday, August 29 to Sunday, August 31, the Flanders Darts Trophy in Antwerp is on the program. This is the tenth Euro Tour tournament of the season.

The Flanders Darts Trophy kicks off a series of Euro Tour tournaments before the final finale later in October: the European Darts Championship. The 32 best players on the Euro Tour qualify for this final tournament, so the coming weeks will decide who we will see back at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund at the end of next month. A number of famous names like Jermaine Wattimena, Michael Smith and Raymond van Barneveld are currently in 32nd place and will have to work hard in the coming tournaments to qualify.

Dave Chisnall managed to win the 2024 edition and thus starts the tournament as the defending champion. Last year he defeated German Ricardo Pietreczko 8-6 in the final. Friday afternoon the opening session is scheduled in Antwerp, and below you can read which players will appear at the oche.

Jermaine Wattimena v Leon Weber

The afternoon session is kicked off immediately by Jermaine Wattimena takes on Leon Weber. Wattimena is in good form, but as mentioned above is on the verge of qualifying for the European Darts Championship. The Dutchman is currently in 30th place, just 1,500 pounds ahead of No. 32. However, one good run in Antwerp can ensure that 'The Machine Gun' can go into the final tournament and a lot more comfortable. To do so, however, he will first have to deal with Weber in the first round. The German has only played one Euro Tour tournament this year, in Sindelfingen. He defeated Ryan Joyce 6-3 in the first round, but then went down 6-4 to Peter Wright. On paper, Wattimena with his experience on the Euro Tour should be the favorite to reach the second round.

Dylan Slevin v Francois Schweyen

In the second match of the afternoon, we see the first Belgian. Francois Schweyen will have to face Dylan Slevin to reach the second round. Schweyen managed to qualify as a Host Nation Qualifier by defeating Michael de Meyer 6-1. However, it does not mean the Belgian's debut on the Euro Tour. At the end of last year he was already present in Antwerp, but went down 6-4 against Kevin Doets in the first round. Early this year he also managed to qualify for the first Euro Tour tournament in Wieze, but there too he was finished after one round. This time Wessel Nijman was too strong. For Slevin it will be his first appearance on the European Tour this year. The Irishman still has little experience on this stage, so there may be chances for Schweyen to get past the first round for the first time.

Luke Woodhouse v Johan Engstrom

The third match will be a duel between Luke Woodhouse and Johan Engstrom. Woodhouse is a regular on the Euro Tour circuit, but never really gets much further than the last 32. The only exception this year came during European Tour 6 in Sindelfingen, where Woody surprisingly reached the semifinals. However, there he eventually had to acknowledge compatriot Andrew Gilding. Engstrom managed to qualify for a Euro Tour tournament three times this year, but never made it past the first round. In Sindelfingen, the Swede lost in the first round to his upcoming opponent Luke Woodhouse, so the Englishman knows what it takes to beat Engstrom. And with the fact that 'Woody' actually almost always manages to reach the second round in mind, we estimate that this coming weekend this could just be the case again.

Lukas Wenig v Kim Huybrechts

Kim Huybrechts then meets German Lukas Wenig. Like Schweyen, Huybrechts managed to qualify as a Host Nation Qualifier on Thursday afternoon by defeating Sybren Gijbels 6-2 in the deciding round. Huybrechts has been to a Euro Tour tournament four times so far this year, but 'The Hurricane' has not yet been truly successful. Only once did he manage to reach the second round, otherwise it was exit for the Belgian immediately after the first match. Wenig is somewhat in the same boat as Huybrechts. The German has been on the European Tour three times before this year, and also only managed to win his opening match once. Huybrechts seems slightly the favorite beforehand due to the home advantage, but honestly, this match can go either way and the form of the day will be decisive.

Player Details: Kim Huybrechts

Krzysztof Ratajski v Steve Lennon

In the fifth match of the afternoon, we see Krzysztof Ratajski in action against Steve Lennon. Ratajski has only played four Euro Tour tournaments this year, of which he only managed a reasonable run in Munich. At the German Darts Grand Prix the 'Polish Eagle' reached the quarterfinals, where he lost to Josh Rock. Lennon has yet to play on the European Tour this season. It has not been a successful year anyway for the Irishman, who did not make it past the last 64 at the Players Championship tournaments. Ratajski, with his experience, should be by far the favorite on paper, but Lennon can surprise on a good day.

Cameron Menzies v Christian Kist

Cameron Menzies then faces Christian Kist. The Dutchman has had a colorless year, with few shocking results on the ProTour. This will be the first Euro Tour tournament of the year for 'Lipstick'. His draw with Menzies is not the easiest, but there are certainly chances. The Scot is an 'all or nothing' player, so his form of the day will be decisive. Kist's pace may also play a role, as Menzies throws very fast and the Dutchman throws at a slower pace. However, 'Cammy' already managed to reach a quarterfinal twice on the European Tour this year.

Player Details: Cameron Menzies

Best Result

Other Victories

Andrew Gilding v Mensur Suljovic

The penultimate match of the afternoon will not provide the most spectacle in terms of pace. Andrew Gilding will face Mensur Suljovic in his first round match. Gilding managed to win the European Darts Grand Prix in Sindelfingen this year by beating good old Gary Anderson 8-0 in the final. Goldfinger showed that in good form he is capable of winning any Euro Tour tournament. Suljovic has been somewhat off the radar lately. The Austrian played only a few Players Championship tournaments this year, and without success. Still, he managed to qualify for the tournament in Antwerp via the European Tour Card Holder Qualifier. In advance, however, Gilding is the towering favorite to make it to Saturday.