DISCUSSION | Slovak Darts Open: Wessel Nijman set to challenge for major titles after astonishing title run as big names fear World Matchplay spots

The Slovak Darts Open took place this past weekend with Wessel Nijman taking an unassailable win over Rob Cross in the final 8-3. But is he now ready to try for major honours.

Also with the likes of Dave Chisnall set currently to miss the World Matchplay, is it the end of the road for some of the leading lights?

Those form part of our leading Discussion points as we canvas our team of writers post the Slovak Darts Open to give their opinions on Bratislava.

Samuel Gill, Head Editor of DartsNews.com sees it being an indictment of the ProTour system the fact that those in the latter stages have all had superb years.

"This year has been the story of Wessel Nijman as he continues to dazzle and now with two European Tours under his belt, it is no longer just the story of a player who can do it on the ProTour and not a lot else.

"But also others who made it to the latter stages including Ross Smith, Rob Cross and even Tom Sykes have had brilliant years and show that the path is from the floor to the stage.

"Sykes in particular has always had talent, but it is unlocking it on that big stage and he has done so in spades this weekend on debut. A real take your chance moment.

"I see Nijman winning a major or being in PL contention before the year is out. While Cross I'm not sure as he could easily go out first round in Blackpool as he could win it. Good signs though.

Lucas Michael, Editor for DartsNews.com also points out real danger for big names in missing the World Matchplay.

"A very enjoyable trip to Bratislava is the first on the European Tour. What is not first is Wessel Nijman winning a PDC title. Two in a week, can anyone stop him? He has the full package: terrific scoring, clinical finishing and a knack for a big checkout once in a while, citing that 161 in the semi-final.

"There is no doubt he can also do it on the major stage as well. For me, this is all about timing. Aside from the World Matchplay, there is not really a lot of major action until September when they come along like London buses. Whether he is still in that blistering form them, or this trend is just brief for the first part of the year is something that we will have to wait to find out.

"It is very good to see Rob Cross playing some brilliant darts once more. World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and European Championship qualifications are basically sewn up. A huge burden off the shoulders of the former world champion with guaranteed prize money coming in. He will not be settled with that. He is a winner and will expect to be challenging for the biggest prizes. Two years ago, he was world number four and competing in the Premier League Darts. Events in his personal life have taken priority, but this final backed up by the ProTour title midweek hopefully shows ‘Voltage’ past his prior troubles.

"The race to Blackpool is almost at an end. Just two floor events before the cut-off with this the sense that this is the last big chance. I do not see this top 16 changing, meaning that Dave Chisnall will not be in Blackpool for the first time since 2010. While he will be a huge miss, there is no doubt that he does not deserve to be there. Countless chances he has had to get money on the board, but his form has fallen off a cliff. In a similar vein to Peter Wright, I hope he is not falling away, doomed to stick around the 80/low 90’s mark in the average for the rest of his career.

"Back to the race and inevitably most of the big names have got the job some seemingly. There are still question marks over Damon Heta and Cameron Menzies depending on what occurs on the sixth and seventh of July. Cross is very much safe with the likes of Daryl Gurney, Ryan Joyce and Joe Cullen doing enough to return to the Winter Gardens. It is a shame that one of Sebastian Bialecki or Karel Sedlacek could not keep pace near the end. As forementioned, timing is crucial in darts. Their level has seemingly dropped off slightly on the PDC Tour and they have been unable to continue to mount that challenge. Or can they? Let’s not write them off too quickly with Kim Huybrechts also poised to strike.

Mats Leering, Editor for DartsNieuws.com reflected highly on the Dutch hopes but also gave props to Tom Sykes after an incredible semi-final loss.

"Despite the absence of several top players, it was an entertaining first edition of the Slovak Darts Open. And who else but Wessel Nijman stole the show once again. The Dutchman had already won his sixth Players Championship title earlier in the week, and now he has added a second European Tour title to his collection. Nijman simply keeps on winning and is steadily climbing towards a place in the world’s top 10. The list of players he managed to beat was also impressive. Stephen Bunting, Mike De Decker and Ross Smith were all defeated, before Rob Cross was forced to concede defeat in the final. I’m really looking forward to the World Matchplay next month and hope that Nijman can now show this form at the major tournaments too, and perhaps even challenge for the title there. He has everything it takes to win one of those majors soon.

"The other finalist, Cross, is also slowly getting back into form. Just like Nijman, he’d already won a Pro Circuit event earlier in the week, and he managed to carry that form through to Bratislava. It’s great to see that the former world champion is starting to find his best form again after a slight dip in form.

"As far as I’m concerned, other standout names were the debutants, Tom Sykes and Tyler Thorpe. Although Thorpe crashed out in his second match, he did manage to beat Karel Sedlacek in his opening match with an average of over 103. Sykes, however, really made his mark. On his Euro Tour debut, he immediately reached the semi-finals. And he defeated some of the biggest names in the sport. Niko Springer, Martin Schindler, Cameron Menzies and Jermaine Wattimena were all defeated, with Sykes particularly impressing against Springer with an average of 103.64. It would therefore come as no surprise to me if we were to see Sykes on these podiums more often. The Englishman has a fluid style and already seems to show that he is hardly affected by nerves. As far as I’m concerned, he’s certainly an asset to the Euro Tour scene."

Pieter Verbeek, Editor for DartsNieuws.com saw the fact that in reality the phrase Happy Wife, Happy Life means the opposite for Cross who separated from his wife Georgia and has picked up in form again since whether ironically or just a mere coincidence.

"For the eighth time this season, Wessel Nijman has won a PDC ProTour event. Those are remarkable numbers. You can already pencil him in for double digits before the year is out. The only other players to win 10 or more ProTour titles in a single season are Phil Taylor in 2008 and Michael van Gerwen in 2016 and 2018.

"On the virtual world rankings following the World Darts Championship, Nijman currently sits eighth in the world. The gap to the top four is not particularly large, which means the Dutchman can already start dreaming, cautiously at least, of a Premier League Darts debut next year. To make that dream a reality, however, he will need to prove himself on the major stages. That is why I am especially interested to see how he fares against the very best at the World Matchplay in July.

"In England they often say, "Happy Wife, Happy Life", but in Rob Cross' case it almost seems to be the other way around. Earlier this month, Cross announced that he and Georgia had separated, and since then "Voltage" has won a Players Championship event and now reached the final of a European Tour tournament as well. Cross no longer has to worry about qualifying for the majors this season. The Englishman looks set to feature in all of the sport's biggest televised events, and he could yet prove to be a dangerous outsider capable of upsetting the favourites on any given stage."

Theo Stodiek, Editor for DartsNews.DE also pointed out that a run ended for top German names.

"The first-ever Slovak Darts Open is in the books, and what a week it has been for Wessel Nijman and Rob Cross. Having both already claimed Players Championship glory earlier in the week, they followed it up with outstanding runs in Bratislava, leaving no doubt that they were the standout players of the week. In the end, it was the young Dutchman who came out on top, beating Voltage comprehensively 8-3 in the final.

"Beyond the two finalists, the biggest takeaway of the weekend was the incredible support from the Slovakian crowd, who made it abundantly clear that the Slovak Darts Open deserves to become a regular fixture on the European Tour in the years to come. No booing, no whistling—just a wonderfully supportive atmosphere, something acknowledged by several players, including Nathan Aspinall and Rob Cross, during the award ceremony.

"As a German darts fan, however, this hasn't been the most enjoyable Euro Tour. With both Martin Schindler and Niko Springer – the only two German participants in Bratislava – falling at the first hurdle, it brought an end to a run of seven consecutive Euro Tours in which at least one German player had reached the final day on Sunday.

"With the tournament now over, only two more Players Championship events remain that could still affect the race to the World Matchplay, though I doubt they'll have much bearing on the current standings. At present, the final qualifying spot on the Pro Tour Order of Merit belongs to Damon Heta. The Australian holds a 5.25k gap over Dave Chisnall, who would otherwise miss out on the World Matchplay for the first time in 15 years. Schindler and Springer have already secured their places at the Winter Gardens, and in terms of the race to the European Championship in Dortmund later this year, both remain in strong positions. Springer, the lower-ranked of the two, still holds a 6k cushion over the first player outside the qualifying zone. So their early exits shouldn't have any significant impact on qualification for either tournament.

"Another player worth discussing is Tom Sykes. Not only because he eliminated both Schindler and Springer, but also because of his remarkable run to a European Tour semi-final on his debut. After dispatching the two Germans, he followed up with a win over Cameron Menzies, who himself had knocked out the “Iceman” Gerwyn Price the day before. Sykes then saw off “The Machine Gun” Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals, before finally running into a solid 98 average from Rob Cross in the semis. It was there that the lack of experience showed – Sykes has never had to navigate those long, grueling final days on the European Tour, where players must fight through match after match to claim the title, and his energy ultimately ran out."