Mensur Suljovic already has his July holiday plans sorted.
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The German Darts Masters and Danish Darts Open champion told about his love of Blackpool's attractions. In between trips to the Pleasure Beach, there's the little matter of the PDC World Matchplay for Suljovic to get stuck into. That also holds plenty of excitement for the loveable Austrian. "I love Blackpool, it’s one of my favorite tournaments of the year," he enthused. ''The Winter Gardens is a fabulous venue plus Blackpool is a lovely town, there’s plenty to do in between games which I like. I love to take a few hours out everyday and just walk the sea front." Suljovic comes into the World Matchplay in a good vein of form. The aforementioned wins in Gelsenkirchen and Copenhagen came after a spell in the Premier League. Despite suffering relegation, the Champions League of Darts champion had one of the highest tournament averages. All in all, it has been a decent start to the year for Suljovic. That said, he has his regrets. "It’s been quite successful. I’d hoped to have shown more during Premier League, I played well enough, but you need luck in games sometimes and that didn’t happen. "However, I’m pleased at how it went and I’m really looking forward to hopefully being in the Premier League next year."
Grand plans
To qualify for the Premier League automatically, Suljovic would need to be in the world's top four. Currently sixth in the Order of Merit, the Austrian could bridge the gap with a strong performance at the upcoming majors, starting with the World Matchplay. In his naturally nonchalant way, the Gentle remained coy about his ambitions.
"I don’t really set a target as far as the Order of Merit's concerned, it’s great being number six but I think I can go further, how far?
"That depends on how I do. I’m always looking to improve, but I like to train hard and take each game as it comes," he said.
Suljovic explained his training in greater detail, adding that some friends and fellow professionals have been giving him a hand. With the World Matchplay around the corner, preparations have been very focused.
"Preparation has gone well. I took a quick holiday with the family but still found time each day for a couple of hours of practice," Suljovic said.
"My board goes everywhere with me. And the last week I’ve been practicing in my Club with my friend Michael Rasztovits, and the Rodriguez brothers. I spend most time on my finishing."
"I don’t really set a target as far as the Order of Merit's concerned, it’s great being number six but I think I can go further, how far?
"That depends on how I do. I’m always looking to improve, but I like to train hard and take each game as it comes," he said.
Suljovic explained his training in greater detail, adding that some friends and fellow professionals have been giving him a hand. With the World Matchplay around the corner, preparations have been very focused.
"Preparation has gone well. I took a quick holiday with the family but still found time each day for a couple of hours of practice," Suljovic said.
"My board goes everywhere with me. And the last week I’ve been practicing in my Club with my friend Michael Rasztovits, and the Rodriguez brothers. I spend most time on my finishing."
The bogeyman
His opponent is a familiar foe, Steve Beaton. Suljovic holds his own against most players, but has a bizarrely poor record against the Bronzed Adonis. In eight previous meetings, the Gentle hasn't won a single one. When asked whether coincidence or a struggle to deal with the world's most consistent throw was at fault, Suljovic sat on the fence. "I think it’s a bit of both with Steve. People have to understand that Steve’s a top top player who I have a huge amount of respect for, it’ll be close and I’ll have to be at the very top of my game to beat him," he said. Suljovic and Beaton meet on Sunday evening at the Winter Gardens. The winner will meet Ian White or Max Hopp. For Suljovic, who it has been argued is in a very open half of the draw, his walks on the beach could be filled with thoughts of something special brewing in Blackpool.
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- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026
- Littler lost to crabtree in the youth/junior/whatever you call it. He had no point in being there. He's unfortunately now got to the stage,he feels all he has to do is get on the stage to win. Well,I hope he realises part of his fear factor has gone. Happened to Taylor,then van gerwen,and it's causing him to realise pretty sharp,he isn't unstoppable. It's good for the sport,not 1 single player in my 60 years has ever,or will ever be, unbeatable.rick6725-10-2026
- I think it's great to see Mark Webster looking good,good ladrick6725-10-2026
- I agree,I can't believe the lack of coverage of this sad loss. Always enjoyed watching him,but I guess now it's all about littler,well it seems that way. Darts has sadly lost a good manrick6717-10-2026
- In the absence of a report regarding the death of Stefan Lord, I'll assist. An excellent player in the late 70s and early 80s, he actually won the now defunct 3rd place match at two World Championships and a couple of the News of the World Championships. A fabulous player and easily the best Swedish player ever. Rest peacefully Stefan.richieburnettrocks16-10-2026