Callan Rydz, Martin Lukeman, Mensur Suljovic and Ian White completed a European Tour qualification double on Friday, as Tour Card Holder Qualifiers for European Tour Events 9-10 took place in Leicester.
Friday’s double-header at the Mattioli Arena saw a field of 90 players competing in the respective European Tour qualifiers, which produced ten players per event.
The Baltic Sea Darts Open (ET9) will be held at the Wunderino Arena in Kiel from July 11-13, before the Flanders Darts Trophy (ET10) takes place in Antwerp from August 29-31.
Rydz was rampant in the East Midlands, winning six consecutive matches to confirm his place in Kiel and Antwerp, averaging 106 to dispatch Alan Soutar in the penultimate round of ET10 qualification.
Grand Slam runner-up Lukeman came through four deciding-leg ties to complete his qualification double, while also sweeping aside Irish duo William O’Connor and Dylan Slevin along the way.
Meanwhile, Suljovic and White – both three-time winners on the European Tour – rolled back the years with some vintage displays across the afternoon to confirm their big stage returns.
Krzysztof Ratajski headlined the list of ET9 Qualifiers, following up a sensational 108 average with a narrow victory over Adam Warner to clinch his place at the Baltic Sea Darts Open.
Poland’s number one Ratajski will be joined in Kiel by his fellow countryman Sebastian Bialecki and Tytus Kanik, while Andy Baetens won his all-Belgian battle against Kim Huybrechts to qualify.
Ryan Meikle produced a terrific comeback victory to deny Niko Springer a place on home soil, with Justin Hood confirming his European Tour debut to complete the list of ten qualifiers.
The six players who joined Rydz, Lukeman, Suljovic and White in winning through the ET10 Qualifier included German number two Ricardo Pietreczko, who conceded a solitary leg in his three matches.
Former Lakeside champion Christian Kist averaged almost 104 to prevail in his winner-takes-all showdown against Dominik Gruellich, as Steve Lennon produced a superb performance to halt Ratajski’s five-match winning run.
Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf and German youngster Leon Weber won deciding-leg tussles to book their spots in Belgium, with Czech World Cup quarter-finalist Karel Sedlacek easing through his campaign.
However, it was a frustrating afternoon for European Champion Ritchie Edhouse, who suffered back-to-back defeats against Bialecki to miss out on qualification for both Kiel and Antwerp.
European Tour events now see 16 seeds from the PDC Order of Merit exempt to the last 32 for each tournament, with the first round seeing 16 ProTour Order of Merit qualifiers drawn against the other 16 qualifiers.
Click here for results from each qualifier.
Click here for match stats & results through DartConnect.
ET9 Tour Card Holder Qualifiers: Justin Hood, Sebastian Bialecki, Krzysztof Ratajski, Ryan Meikle, Andy Baetens, Martin Lukeman, Tytus Kanik, Callan Rydz, Mensur Suljovic, Ian White.
ET10 Tour Card Holder Qualifiers: Leon Weber, Ricardo Pietreczko, Steve Lennon, Mensur Suljovic, Martin Lukeman, Jeffrey de Graaf, Callan Rydz, Karel Sedlacek, Ian White, Christian Kist.