“I was like, give me a break, man… but now it’s paying off” - Kim Huybrechts credits Erik Clarys as career resurgence continues in Munich

With a convincing 6-1 win over Luke Woodhouse and the first 100+ average of the 2026 German Darts Grand Prix, Kim Huybrechts has firmly put himself back in the spotlight in Munich.

The Belgian booked his place in the final day in emphatic fashion, continuing a strong run of form in recent weeks. After a period spent battling for stability and to protect his position, Huybrechts now looks closer to the level that once made him a consistent presence on the big stage.

“Yeah, very happy," he told DartsNews afterwards. "Of course, Luke Woodhouse is knocking on the door of the top 20. I’m miles away from that, but beating a player of that calibre means a lot.”

This performance follows a clear upward trend. Huybrechts had already reached the last 16 in Wieze and now backs that up with another run to the final day. “And like you said, I’m into the final day. I was also there in Wieze, so twice in a row means a lot.”

That momentum has been built through sustained work with Erik Clarys. “Yeah, I’ve been working a lot with Erik Clarys. Even after some tournaments… like in Wieze, I played on the Sunday and on Monday he texted me saying he was coming over for a two or three hour practice session. I was like, wow.”

The intensity has not eased even after long travel days and late finishes. “Last week when I qualified for Graz and Sindelfingen, I think I got home at around 3:00 in the morning. Then at 10:00 he texted me again saying he was coming over for another two or three hour session. I was like, give me a break, man. But now it’s paying off.”

The focus of that work has been specific. “A lot of finishing. He says one of my weakest points over the past years has been my finishing, so we’ve really been working hard on that.”

It is an approach built around identifying and addressing weaknesses rather than wholesale change. “He always says to me, ‘I can’t make you better, but I can show you the weak points.’ And we’ve been focusing on those weak points a lot over the last six months, and it’s working out.”

At the start of the season, the priority was simply to retain his PDC Tour Card. “Yeah, like you said, the main goal at the start of the season was to keep my Tour Card. But you can see in darts how quickly things can turn around.”

Now, with form improving, the conversation has shifted towards a potential World Matchplay spot. “I’m close to the Matchplay now. It wasn’t a goal at the start, it would be a bonus. But if you’re close, you have to make it a bit of a goal.”

Even so, the broader objective remains unchanged. “If I miss out, I won’t be disappointed because that wasn’t the main target. But after three months of the season, you can start to sharpen your goals a bit.”

“So now, yes, the Matchplay becomes a goal, but the first goal is still to keep my Tour Card and have a solid season. And I’m on my way to doing that.”

His run in Munich reinforces that trajectory, with improved finishing and growing consistency beginning to translate into results at the right level.