Andrew Gilding has knocked Michael van Gerwen out of the Slovak Darts Open with a 6-4 last-16 win in Bratislava.
The result landed on finals day at the Incheba Expo and removed one of the biggest names from the European Tour event before the quarter-finals. Van Gerwen had survived Krzysztof Ratajski in a deciding leg on Saturday, but Gilding stopped his run on Sunday, as listed in Sky Sports’ Slovak Darts Open results.
Gilding Result Opens Up Bratislava Draw
Gilding’s win matters because Van Gerwen was one of the headline names in the first PDC European Tour event staged in Slovakia. With Gian van Veen and Gerwyn Price also out, the title picture has shifted quickly.
Stephen Bunting remained one of the major names still alive on finals day, while Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall, Ross Smith and Cameron Menzies all had chances to turn the draw in their favour.
For Gilding, the 6-4 victory is the kind of controlled knockout-stage result that can reshape a weekend. The immediate question is whether he can back it up in the evening session, when the title and £35,000 winner’s prize are decided.
The timing also gives the result extra bite: Van Gerwen’s exit arrived before the last eight, so the first Slovak champion will now come from a reshaped field rather than through the tournament’s biggest Dutch draw.
