Jelle Klaasen ensured the second Dutch success at the European Q-School in Kalkar on Friday. After Martijn Dragt won a Tour Card on Thursday, 'The Cobra' followed a day later on the second day of the final stage.
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Klaasen had to start right away in the first round. In it, he faced Jeffrey de Graaf, but the former Lakeside champion beat De Graaf 6-3. After that Klaasen also beat Alexander Masek (6-5), Nicolas Thuillier (6-4), Michele Turetta (6-3) and Gilbert van der Meijden (6-4) for a spot in the semifinals. In it he faced Jules van Dongen, who already managed to reach the last sixteen on Thursday. Klaasen won the game 6-5, and then prevailed 6-5 against Benjamin Drue Reus in the final.
So after two years without a PDC Tour Card, Klaasen returns to the Pro Tour circuit this season. In the past two seasons, however, Klaasen has not been idle. For example, he took the title at the Dutch Open, and Klaasen competed again last year at Lakeside, the tournament he managed to win in 2006.
Jules van Dongen is also in good shape to grab a Tour Card later this week. So after reaching the last sixteen on the first day of play, he made it to the semifinals on Friday. In doing so, he has already racked up six points for the European Q-School Order of Merit. Normally, seven points should be enough to win a Tour Card.
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.