Michael van Gerwen will face Andrew Gilding in the last 16 of the Slovak Darts Open after a second round in Bratislava that removed several major names from the draw.
The PDC European Tour event, staged at Incheba from 19-21 June, now moves into Sunday with Van Gerwen among the headline survivors after edging Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5. Stephen Bunting also came through a last-leg contest against Niels Zonneveld, while Rob Cross, Cameron Menzies and Ryan Joyce all helped reshape the field with statement wins.
Gerwyn Price fell 6-2 to Menzies, top seed Gian van Veen lost 6-3 to Cross, and Jonny Clayton was beaten 6-5 by Joyce, according to the updated Slovak Darts Open schedule and results from Sky Sports.
Van Gerwen Now Has A Clear Bratislava Route
Sunday’s afternoon session gives Van Gerwen a meeting with Gilding, while Cross plays Kevin Doets and Menzies faces Tom Sykes. The other last-16 ties are Ryan Searle against Nathan Aspinall, Danny Noppert against Jermaine Wattimena, Chris Dobey against Ross Smith, Joyce against Mike De Decker, and Bunting against Wessel Nijman.
The format now sharpens quickly, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final all scheduled for Sunday evening. Van Gerwen has avoided the same round-two damage that caught Price, Van Veen and Clayton, but the remaining draw has enough form players to make Bratislava a demanding route to another European Tour title.
