Spanish veteran Cristo Reyes has secured a long-awaited return to the PDC Tour, winning a Tour Card for the first time in over five years at the European Qualifying School. The 38-year-old, who had not competed on the main tour since 2018, made a impressive comeback to darts after a six-year hiatus and was crowned Tour Card winner after beating Matthias Ehlers 6-3 in his final match of the day.
Reyes' triumph at the European event in Germany marks a significant milestone for him as he looks to rebuild his career. The Spaniard had previously competed on the main tour from 2008 to 2015, but took a break from the sport after suffering an injury. His impressive comeback was marked by several excellent performances throughout the Qualifying School.
Dutchman Jeffrey Sparidaans also secured his first Tour Card after a one-year absence, defeating Michele Turetta in a thrilling deciding-leg victory. The Dutchman led 5-1 against Turetta but let his lead slip after the Italian hit an incredible 170 checkout to level the contest at 5-5.
In another dramatic turn of events, Ireland's Niall Culleton and England's Carl Sneyd both secured their maiden Tour Cards. Culleton, who was a 6th round qualifier just last week, came from behind to defeat Kirk De Ruyter and Sam Jackson in the opening rounds before accounting for veteran Mervyn King and compatriot Damien Grimes.
Culleton then set up a winner-takes-all clash with Danny Goddard but ultimately secured his Tour Card after rallying from 5-4 down to win 6-5. Sneyd, meanwhile, saw off Martin Tonks and Tommy Morris in the opening rounds before coming back from 5-2 down against David Sharp to secure his first Tour Card.
The four PDC Tour Cards awarded on day two mean that eight players will now compete for a total of 13 PDC Tour Cards at the end of Sunday's play.
Reyes' triumph at the European event in Germany marks a significant milestone for him as he looks to rebuild his career. The Spaniard had previously competed on the main tour from 2008 to 2015, but took a break from the sport after suffering an injury. His impressive comeback was marked by several excellent performances throughout the Qualifying School.
Dutchman Jeffrey Sparidaans also secured his first Tour Card after a one-year absence, defeating Michele Turetta in a thrilling deciding-leg victory. The Dutchman led 5-1 against Turetta but let his lead slip after the Italian hit an incredible 170 checkout to level the contest at 5-5.
In another dramatic turn of events, Ireland's Niall Culleton and England's Carl Sneyd both secured their maiden Tour Cards. Culleton, who was a 6th round qualifier just last week, came from behind to defeat Kirk De Ruyter and Sam Jackson in the opening rounds before accounting for veteran Mervyn King and compatriot Damien Grimes.
Culleton then set up a winner-takes-all clash with Danny Goddard but ultimately secured his Tour Card after rallying from 5-4 down to win 6-5. Sneyd, meanwhile, saw off Martin Tonks and Tommy Morris in the opening rounds before coming back from 5-2 down against David Sharp to secure his first Tour Card.
The four PDC Tour Cards awarded on day two mean that eight players will now compete for a total of 13 PDC Tour Cards at the end of Sunday's play.
he was out of the game for so long but managed to get back in and crush it 
Matthias Ehlers didn't stand a chance against him 
and 6-3 is like, super impressive! 
I'm hyped for Spain now, hope Reyes can keep up the momentum 
It's awesome to see Cristo Reyes back in the darts scene! His comeback is super inspiring 
He must've worked so hard to get back to where he was before taking that six-year break 
Jeffrey Sparidaans' last-minute comeback win is still giving me goosebumps 
Niall Culleton and Carl Sneyd both deserve a big round of applause for their impressive victories 
The competition's getting fiercer, which is exactly what we need to drive the sport forward 
I'm tellin' ya, something fishy is goin' on here... Cristo Reyes comes outta nowhere and suddenly he's back on the main tour? It's like he was never injured or nothin'! And Matthias Ehlers just happens to lose to him in the final match? 
What are the odds, right? 
I mean, I'm happy for the guy, but it feels like they're pullin' a fast one on us. And what's up with Jeffrey Sparidaans losin' lead in his match and then winnin' it against Michele Turetta? It's like he had some help or somethin'. 
Don't get me wrong, I'm glad these guys are doin' well for themselves, but I got a feelin' there's more to this story than meets the eye... 
. Ireland's Niall Culleton, I love underdog stories 
. Now we got some new blood on the PDC Tour Cards hunt 