Fifteen professionals and one Czech amateur: darts player Pavel Drtil stuns pros at Czech Darts Open
51-year-old Pavel Drtil, an amateur darts player from Trutnov, last week amazed spectators by knocking out elite players and advancing to the final sixteen on Sunday. He defeated Englishman Joe Cullen (ranked eighteenth in the world) and Josh Rock from Northern Ireland (ranked seventeenth) to reach the third round of the Czech Darts Open.
The atmosphere was electric at the PVO Expo in Prague’s Letňany district on Sunday, as Czech darts fans cheered for the home player, Pavel Drtil. The 51-year-old from Trutnov plays both soft-tip and steel-tip darts, and was the only non-professional player taking part in the tournament’s third round. He qualified last Thursday on only three hours of sleep after working a night shift. He went on to defeat internationally ranked players on Friday and Saturday, but was ultimately knocked out by Belgian player Kim Huybrechts. There was no shame in the loss; Huybrechts himself came second in the overall competition.
In a video on the Czech Darts Open Instagram page, Drtil said of his position in the final sixteen: “To tell you the truth, I didn't expect it at all. I have other priorities in life, but in my darts career this is the most I have achieved so far. The atmosphere was great.”
The tournament was won by the world number one Luke Humphries. The twenty-nine-year-old from Crewe, England had previously won the Czech Darts Open back in 2022. Despite his definitive 8-1 win against Huybrechts and claiming his seventh European Tour title, Humphries said afterwards that he believes that he can get better.
