“Probably the hottest stage I've ever played on” - Keane Barry battles brutal Prague heat to stun Rob Cross at Czech Darts Open

Keane Barry revealed he was forced to dry his hands after every visit as he battled through sweltering conditions to knock Rob Cross out of the 2026 Czech Darts Open on Friday night.

The Irishman claimed a 6-4 first-round victory in Prague after a tight contest in which the opening six legs all went with throw. Barry finally made the breakthrough with a 114 checkout to move 4-3 ahead and consolidated the break to go within one leg of victory.

Cross survived when Barry missed match darts at double 20 and double 10, but the former world champion could not complete the comeback. Barry sealed the win soon afterwards, averaging 89.73 compared to Cross' 86.12.

“It was tough playing up here. It is probably the hottest stage I have ever played on,” Barry said afterwards. “It was tough with the heat, but I felt like I got into a nice rhythm and controlled it well.”

The conditions were difficult enough for Barry to change his routine between visits. “I am just happy to win and into the next round. I had to go and dry my hands after every throw,” he explained. “It was probably the same for Rob. It is tough, but it is one of them, you have to get through it.”

The victory continued an encouraging run across successive European Tour weekends for Barry. Seven days earlier at the Hungarian Darts Trophy, he had beaten Martin Schindler 6-2 in the opening round and Madars Razma by the same scoreline in round two before his run was ended by Dave Chisnall in the last 16.

Barry believes that spell has given him something tangible to carry into Prague. “It’s all confidence really. I had a good week last week. I carried it forward into this week.”

Against Cross, that confidence was tested in a match that became increasingly scrappy as the heat took its toll. Barry had already done the hard work by breaking with the 114 checkout and moving 5-3 ahead, only to miss his first chances to finish the contest.

He was not particularly concerned with how the victory looked. “If you have to win a scrap at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter,” Barry said. “As long as you are into the next round, that is all I care about.”

The result sets up a second-round meeting with Chris Dobey on Saturday, and Barry has little interest in dwelling on either his recent run or the missed opportunities against Cross. “I don’t worry about what has happened in the past. All I can concentrate on is what is going to happen tomorrow,” he added. “Put my best foot forward and feel good. I have acclimatised from tonight. I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Barry therefore heads into the Dobey clash having now won three of his last four European Tour matches across Budapest and Prague, with another place on Sunday at stake.