2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Preview

Now, it is time for James Punt’s 2024 Czech Darts Open R2 preview. The maestro nailed two winners from two bets last night, hopefully there’s more of the same to come.

Ricardo Pietreczko vs. Martin Lukeman

Martin Lukeman beat Callan Rydz 6-4 yesterday, but it was as much about Rydz beating himself, as it was Lukeman. Once Smash landed a few blows, and Rydz missed a few darts, it was pretty clear that there was only going to be one result. Lukeman has won six of his last ten matches, but there is not a great deal of consistency in his game right now.

Pietreczko has been out of form for most of 2024. His seasonal win rate is just 41% and most recently he has lost six of his last ten matches. Like Lukeman, he is lacking consistency, and he isn’t scoring quite as well as Lukeman on the whole. Amazingly, Pietreczko made the final of the Flanders Darts Trophy at the start of September. It was a reminder of what he can do, but since then he has played 17 and won just 6.

Neither player is close to their best form, but Lukeman looks to be playing a little better. Their H2H record is 1-1, with both matches played on the floor in 2022.

Lukeman is the 1.79 favourite, Pietreczko 2.20. It is more a case of opposing Pietreczko as backing Lukeman, but the odds are just about good enough.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Martin Lukeman to win @ 1.79 with Livescorebet

Damon Heta vs. Gabriel Clemens

Clemens had no problems in beating Brendan Dolan 6-1, but he didn’t have to do much more than turn up, and his 87 average was more than enough. The German has won six of his last ten matches and he has been playing better than we saw yesterday.

Damon Heta came very close to beating Mike De Decker in the first round of the Grand Prix, but he ended up losing 1-2 and it was De Decker who went on to win the tournament, something that will not be lost on the Australian. He has won six of his last ten matches and is playing very well. I doubt he can go all the way, but he is one of the form players in the tournament.

Their H2H record is an impressive 8-2 to Heta and he has won the last five in a row. Heta has covered a -1.5 handicap vs. Clemens in all but one of his eight wins vs. Clemens.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Damon Heta to win -1.5 legs @ 2.00 generally available

Chris Dobey vs. Jermaine Wattimena

Wattimena made a meal of beating Patrik Kovacs 6-5. Kovacs only averaged 81.90, but he was doing the right thing at the right time. He also played at a snail’s pace, trying to unsettle Wattimena and it nearly worked. However, the fact was that Wattimena had doubles to win just about every leg, and he didn’t take them. The Dutchman has won seven of his last ten matches and has been playing very well in most of his them.

Dobey has won six of his last ten matches, he has not been as consistent as Wattimena, but there really is not too much between the two on recent form.

Their H2H record is 3-1 to Wattimena, but Dobey finally got a win against Wattimena in July with a 6-4 win in PC15. Dobey averaged 107 that day, so it took his A+ game to get the win.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Jermaine Wattimena to win @ 2.60 with Livescorebet

Josh Rock vs. Pavel Drtil

Drtil pulled of a shock when beating Joe Cullen 6-4 yesterday. He only averaged 84.27 but Cullen was poor and the Czech qualifier kept his cool and took his chances well. It was the highlight of his career and is likely to remain so for a while. It is hard for these local qualifiers to beat a PDC pro, much, much harder to do it again the next day.

We have backed Rock outright and this should be a gentle introduction into the tournament. No bet.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet

Kim Huybrechts vs. Luke Woodhouse

Huybrechts got very lucky when Rob Cross had to pull out of the tournament after the draw was made. There is no redraw, so Huybrechts just takes Cross’ place and drops straight into the second round, and £2500 minimum.

Huybrechts has won six of his last ten matches, but consistency is not a big part of his game. In the last ten, he has hit four sub 90 averages as well as four 97+, so you do not know what you are going to get.

Woodhouse beat Marko Kantele 6-0 last night. I like to see a player beat a lesser opponent to nil, rather than taking it easy and dropping a leg or two. Woodhouse is in good form, winning six of his last ten matches and while his consistency is not rock solid, it is better than Huybrechts.

Their H2H record is 2-2 and they have not met since 2022. Woodhouse has won the last two and Huybrechts last beat Woodhouse in 2021. I would say that Woodhouse has stepped up a division since then, Huybrechts is on the wane, but still dangerous.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Luke Woodhouse to win @ 1.85 with Ladbrokes

Ross Smith vs. Alan Soutar

Smith is not in great form, losing five of his last ten matches. He is very inconsistent, hitting six sub 92 averages and two ton plusses.

Soutar got a rare Euro Tour win when he beat Florian Hempel 6-2 yesterday. It was a poor match, and Hempel was only averaging 81. Soutar has won just three of his last ten matches, with seven sub 90 averages, and his best were three 92 averages.

Even an out of form Smith should be too good for Soutar. Smith is just 1.40 to win and he makes no appeal. No bet.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet

Danny Noppert vs. Mike de Decker

There was a noticeable swagger about De Decker when he beat Brett Claydon 6-1 and averaged 104. Clearly no mental let down in that performance. He is enjoying being a Major winner and is playing with maximum confidence.

Danny Noppert, the Dutch money farmer, has lost four Euro Tour quarter finals and semi-final. He has only lost two of his twelve opening matches on the Euro Tour in 2024. He is not a great tournament winner, but he wins a lot of matches and is a tough opponent.

The Freeze has won seven of his last ten matches and was a semi-finalist on Wednesday. He is playing with a good deal of consistency and you have to play well to beat him, especially in the earlier rounds.

Their H2H record is 4-3 to De Decker and in 2024 1-1, but all those were played before De Decker won his Major. All six of their matches were best of eleven legs, and all but on required ten legs or more. Another close match is expected.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes, Boylesports

Ryan Searle vs. Michael Smith

Smith beat Kevin Doets 6-3 last night in a dazzling display of bounce outs. I am surprised he didn’t put his back out, bending down to pick up so many darts that ended up on the floor.

He was able to beat Doets with not quite two darts per throw, because Doets was poor, averaging just 81.68. Smith has won seven of his last ten matches but he is not at his best and lacks a bit of consistency. His win last night has cemented Smith’s place in next week’s final, so he should be quite relaxed here.

Searle is ranked 8th in the Euro Tour OOM, which reflects his good season in Europe. The only thing missing is a tournament win. Searle has won eight of his last ten matches, but his last match was a 4-6 loss to Michael Smith. That is the one thing that worried me before selecting Searle as an outright selection.

Overall their H2H record is 6-3 to Smith, but this week’s match was their first meeting since 2021, which is a surprise. Searle is the heavier scorer these days, Smith can kick off at any minute, but he can also throw in the towel a bit too easily. That is something that has crept back into his game.

The market can’t split the two, which is about right. Another close match has to be on the cards, and hopefully Searle can come out on top.

2024 Czech Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Boylesports

-JamesPunt