Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen are still alive at the 2026 Czech Darts Open. Sunday’s third round has produced the quarter-final line-up in Prague, with Gerwyn Price, Ross Smith, Jonny Clayton, Danny Noppert and William O’Connor also chasing the title.
The tournament had already been shaken up on Saturday by the exits of Gary Anderson, Nathan Aspinall and Stephen Bunting, while Beau Greaves left Prague after her historic first-round win. Sunday adds a more immediate layer: according to the PDC’s official finals-day tracker and Sky Sports’ updated draw, the evening session opens with four ties that can quickly reshape the weekend.
September 6 update: the quarter-finals are set
The Czech Darts Open took a new shape on Sunday afternoon. The PDC’s official finals-day tracker still had the last 16 fighting for the title and the £35,000 top prize. The field has now been cut down: Sky Sports confirms the eight third-round winners and the four quarter-final ties for the evening session in Prague.
| Quarter-final | Tie |
|---|---|
| QF 1 | Gerwyn Price vs Ross Smith |
| QF 2 | William O’Connor vs Luke Humphries |
| QF 3 | Jonny Clayton vs Michael van Gerwen |
| QF 4 | Danny Noppert vs Luke Littler |
The key point is that the biggest names survived the last-16 trap without closing the tournament down. Littler beat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3, Humphries saw off Andrew Gilding 6-3, Van Gerwen edged Wessel Nijman 6-4, while Price and Clayton helped turn the top half of the draw into a very Welsh-looking evening. Now it gets serious: every tie already feels close to a semi-final.
Humphries stops Greaves, but the story still stands
This was always the match of the evening. Greaves had become the first woman to win a match on the PDC European Tour after beating Daryl Gurney on Friday. One day later, she ran into Humphries, a three-time Prague champion and the defending title holder.
Greaves opened with a 13-dart leg. Humphries replied in 12 and then 14, before pulling clear in the second half of the match to win 6-2. The scoreline is clear, but it does not erase the wider point: Greaves opened a historic door on Friday, and Humphries mainly reminded everyone why Prague remains one of his strongest stages.
The world number two also sent a useful signal about his own condition. After an early defeat in Hungary the previous week, he said he had not been sure 48 hours earlier whether he would play in Prague. In a short format where hesitation is punished quickly, answering with that level of scoring changes the view of his Sunday.
Littler returns with a 108.59 average
Littler had been away from the European Tour for several months, but this did not look like a cautious reset. Against Niko Springer, the world number one won 6-4 with a 108.59 average. Springer came back from 5-2 to 5-4, but Littler closed the match before it could fully turn.
That matters. Littler had been lighter on this circuit, but not short of momentum overall after retaining the World Matchplay title. In Prague, he showed he could pick up the European thread straight away. His next test is Krzysztof Ratajski, who beat Jermaine Wattimena 6-2.
Anderson, Aspinall and Bunting out as seeds scatter
The day had already become tricky before the evening session. Cameron Menzies beat Anderson 6-3, finding the decisive break in the second half of the match. Gilding then beat Aspinall 6-2, after leading 5-0 and finishing the job with a 122 checkout.
Bunting's defeat added the final twist. Woodhouse beat him 6-4 with an average above 105, which gives the session more weight. This is no longer just about two well-known names being caught cold early in the day. Saturday genuinely cleaned up the draw. In this format, there is little room to hide: a favourite drops a level, an outsider holds his doubles, and the final day looks different very quickly.
All second-round results
| Match | Result |
|---|---|
| Krzysztof Ratajski vs Jermaine Wattimena | Ratajski 6-2 |
| William O’Connor vs Ryan Searle | O’Connor 6-4 |
| Danny Noppert vs Kevin Doets | Noppert 6-1 |
| Cameron Menzies vs Gary Anderson | Menzies 6-3 |
| Keane Barry vs Chris Dobey | Barry 6-4 |
| Ross Smith vs Stephen Burton | Smith 6-1 |
| Andrew Gilding vs Nathan Aspinall | Gilding 6-2 |
| Wessel Nijman vs Martin Schindler | Nijman 6-5 |
| Gian van Veen vs Jeffrey de Graaf | Van Veen 6-1 |
| Jonny Clayton vs Damon Heta | Clayton 6-2 |
| Gerwyn Price vs Callan Rydz | Price 6-2 |
| Luke Littler vs Niko Springer | Littler 6-4 |
| Luke Humphries vs Beau Greaves | Humphries 6-2 |
| Michael van Gerwen vs Mario Vandenbogaerde | Van Gerwen 6-4 |
| Josh Rock vs Ryan Joyce | Rock 6-3 |
| Luke Woodhouse vs Stephen Bunting | Woodhouse 6-4 |
What it changes before the evening session
The third round has reduced the draw without removing the most watched contenders. Littler can still turn his European Tour return into a title, Humphries remains on course for another major Prague run, and Van Gerwen has a real opening to chase his first Czech Darts Open crown.
The danger is the depth of the quarter-final line-up. Price and Clayton both came through cleanly, Ross Smith still has momentum after his Hungarian title, and Noppert has just survived a tight match against Woodhouse. In short: this evening is not only about waiting for the favourites. It can already write the final.
