Luke Humphries has been forced to withdraw from the PDC European Championship in Dortmund after being struck down with gastroenteritis. The world number two darts player’s absence from the prestigious tournament in Germany means Belgian darts player Kim Huybrechts will step in as his replacement.
Huybrechts is set to face darts player Ryan Searle in the opening round of the competition. The Belgian’s inclusion comes as a direct result of Humphries’ illness, which has ruled the top-ranked English player out of competing in this week’s event.
Tournament Update
The PDC European Championship continues with its Thursday order of play, proceeding without Humphries’ participation. Huybrechts’ pairing with Searle represents a significant change to the scheduled matchups, with the Belgian given the opportunity to compete on one of darts’ biggest stages in place of the withdrawn world number two.
Gastroenteritis has proven to be an unwelcome disruption to Humphries’ schedule as the PDC tour continues its calendar of major events. The condition’s severity was enough to warrant his withdrawal rather than risk competing while unwell.