Sedláček Revives Qualification Hopes at Swiss Darts Trophy

Qualification pressure and home expectations shaped the Swiss Darts Trophy opening day at St. Jakobshalle in Basel, where Karel Sedláček advanced after a comeback win and Stefan Bellmont secured a historic victory for Swiss darts on the European Tour.

According to dartsworld.com, Sedláček defeated Sebastian Bialecki 6-4 after trailing 4-3, averaging more than 100 and sealing the deciding break with an 86 checkout on the bull. The Czech qualifier remains in contention for European Championship qualification.

"I was waiting for my chance and I hit the bull; super! The chance [for Dortmund] is still alive, I think I’m still alive too, we will see. I think my last match against Wessel was perfect for me, so we will see tomorrow." said Karel Sedláček.

Sedláček will face Wessel Nijman for a place in the last 16, according to dartsworld.com. The result kept his qualification hopes active ahead of the next stage.

Bellmont became the third Swiss player to win a match at the Swiss Darts Trophy after defeating former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 6-3. According to dartsworld.com, the 37-year-old won five consecutive legs and recorded his third career European Tour victory.

"Playing in front of your home crowd is very special and I wanted to win so much. There were quite a few nerves in the early stages of the match, but thankfully I was able to raise my game. I know I will have to play better tomorrow but for now I just want to enjoy this amazing moment." said Stefan Bellmont.

Bellmont will meet Krzysztof Ratajski in the second round, according to dartsworld.com. The tournament host nation also saw Roman Wellinger, Bruno Stoeckli and Alex Fehlmann eliminated in the opening round.

Rob Cross produced the day's highest average with 105.95 in a 6-3 win over Mario Vandenbogaerde, according to dartsworld.com. Bradley Brooks also continued his strong European Tour form by beating Niels Zonneveld 6-4 with both players averaging above 100 and combining for 13 maximums.

Other winners included Michael Smith, Maik Kuivenhoven, Dave Chisnall, Tom Bissell, Cristo Reyes, Mensur Suljović, William O’Connor, Jeffrey de Graaf and Kevin Doets. According to dartsworld.com, the Swiss Darts Trophy continues with the seeded players entering on Saturday.