Luke Humphries beats Josh Rock to claim third Czech Darts Open title in Prague

World number one Luke Humphries secured his third Czech Darts Open crown after defeating Josh Rock 8-5 in Prague, reaffirming his dominance on the European Tour.

Luke Humphries is making Prague his fortress. The 30-year-old Englishman clinched the Czech Darts Open title for the third time, adding to his 2022 and 2024 triumphs, and lifting his eighth European Tour trophy overall.

The PVA Expo crowd witnessed an intense battle as Humphries overcame early struggles against Northern Ireland’s rising star Josh Rock, who stormed into a 3-1 lead. But Humphries regained his rhythm and turned the contest around, capitalizing on key missed doubles from Rock to seal the victory.

The turning point came in the 11th leg, when Rock squandered three darts to level the score at 6-6. Humphries immediately punished the mistake, checking out 98 before finishing on double ten to close out an 8-5 win.

“I feel a little bit emotional to be honest,” Humphries said. “You don’t win three events in the same venue for no reason. This is a special tournament for me.”

Return to Form

The victory was significant for Humphries, who admitted he has struggled to maintain consistency since lifting the Premier League title in May. After a quiet summer on the European Tour and a dip in form, his weekend in Prague marked a return to his sharpest level.

• He opened Sunday with a 6-3 win over Martin Schindler.
• He then fought back from 5-3 down to beat Wessel Nijman, averaging 103 and surviving two match darts.
• In the semi-final, he demolished James Wade 7-1 with relentless scoring and clinical finishing.

“Since I won the Premier League, it’s been tough for me,” Humphries admitted. “But it felt so good being up here tonight. Now I feel dangerous again. This is the time of year when you need to be at your best.”

The reigning world champion also underlined his determination to stay on top: “I know if I want to stay as world number one, I have to put the effort in. I want to be World Champion again, and it all starts from now.”

Rock’s impressive run

Although Rock fell short in the final, the 23-year-old’s performance confirmed his status as one of the sport’s fastest-rising stars.

His route to the final included some of the toughest opponents in darts:

• A 6-4 victory over Michael van Gerwen, with a 103 average.
• A 6-1 demolition of Jermaine Wattimena with a 110 average.
• A composed 7-3 win against Gian van Veen in the semi-finals.

Rock, who also reached the final in Jena last week, has now made back-to-back European Tour finals. Despite the disappointment, he remained upbeat:

“Luke and I didn’t play to our full potential there, but I’m happy with the last two weekends I’ve had. It’s not every day you make back-to-back finals, and I’ll get another title soon.”

Standout performances elsewhere

The tournament also highlighted the emergence of Gian van Veen, who ended Luke Littler’s 19-match winning streak with a 6-4 victory. The 22-year-old followed that up with a stunning 6-0 win over Gerwyn Price, despite the Welshman averaging 104.

Meanwhile, James Wade continued his European Tour resurgence by reaching a third straight semi-final, beating Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith, and Stephen Bunting along the way. Bunting himself impressed by eliminating former world champion Peter Wright after coming back from 5-3 down.

Eyes on Budapest

With Humphries lifting another trophy and Rock proving his consistency, attention now turns to the Hungarian Darts Trophy in Budapest on September 19.

Michael van Gerwen will defend his title there, but all eyes will be on Humphries, who heads into the tournament with renewed belief and momentum as he looks to strengthen his grip on the world number one ranking.