Carlos Rodriguez (darts player)
Encyclopedia
Carlos José Rodríguez Sequera (born January 28, 1979) is a Spanish professional darts
player, playing in Professional Darts Corporation
events.
in January 2007; in the latter of these he placed in the last 16. Two months later, he would win the Gibraltar Open. Rodríguez then attempted to qualify for the BDO World Championship
in November but failed, and in the same month he failed to make any headway in the World Masters
.
In 2008 he decided to join the Professional Dart Players Association
, enabling him to play in PDC events. Because he is based in Spain, he is unable to travel to every event on the PDC Pro Tour
, however a couple of last 16 placings in Players Championship events and UK Open regionals meant he qualified for the UK Open, his first appearance on television. He entered at the last 96 stage, but was beaten 6-1 by Paul Cooper. In October, he tried to qualify for the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts
but was defeated in the early rounds. Later that month however, Rodríguez began to finally make significant gains in the PDC. In the second of two Players Championship events in Scotland
, he reached his first PDC quarter-final before being defeated by the eventual winner James Wade
.
The run of form continued in October as Rodríguez reached the final of the German Darts Trophy, beating noted veterans Peter Manley
and Kevin Painter
3-0 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, before being defeated in a last leg decider by Colin Osborne
. This performance guaranteed Rodríguez's place in the inaugural European Championship
and the 2009 PDC World Championship
. Less than a week later Rodríguez, in a major upset, defeated the world number five Terry Jenkins
in the opening round of the 2008 European Championship, but lost to Ronnie Baxter
in the next round.
Rodríguez began his 2009 PDC World Championship campaign with a 3-2 win over then world number 16 Roland Scholten
of the Netherlands to safely carry him through the second round, but he was then beaten 1-4 by Painter. At the 2010 World Championship, he was defeated 0-3 by Steve Beaton
in the first round.
He teamed up with Antonio Alcinas
to represent Spain at the 2010 PDC World Cup of Darts
. They defeated Japan
in the first round, before knocking out the top seeds England
(represented by the world's top two players, Phil Taylor and James Wade
) 6-5 in the second round. In the group stage, they lost to Wales
but defeated the United States
and Scotland
to qualify for the semi-finals, where they were whitewashed 0-4 by the Netherlands
.
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
player, playing in Professional Darts Corporation
Professional Darts Corporation
The Professional Darts Corporation is a professional darts organization, established in the United Kingdom during 1992, when a group of leading professional players split from the British Darts Organisation to form what was initially called the World Darts Council...
events.
Darts career
A noted soft-tip player, Rodríguez's first foray into the professional steel-tip darts scene was participating in the two PDPA Players Championship events in GibraltarGibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
in January 2007; in the latter of these he placed in the last 16. Two months later, he would win the Gibraltar Open. Rodríguez then attempted to qualify for the BDO World Championship
BDO World Darts Championship
The BDO World Darts Championship is a world championship competition in darts, organised by the British Darts Organisation . It began in 1978, and was the only world championship tournament until 1994...
in November but failed, and in the same month he failed to make any headway in the World Masters
Winmau World Masters
The Winmau World Masters is one of the longest running and most prestigious professional darts tournaments, which began in 1974 - even before the current World Professional Championship...
.
In 2008 he decided to join the Professional Dart Players Association
Professional Dart Players Association
The Professional Dart Players Association is an organisation for professional dart players. Its intention is to look after the interests of professional players through an annually elected Board of six current professionals.-Formation:...
, enabling him to play in PDC events. Because he is based in Spain, he is unable to travel to every event on the PDC Pro Tour
PDC Pro Tour
The PDC Pro Tour is a series of non-televised darts tournaments organised by the Professional Darts Corporation . They comprise Professional Dart Players Association Players Championships and UK Open Regional Finals.-Players Championships:...
, however a couple of last 16 placings in Players Championship events and UK Open regionals meant he qualified for the UK Open, his first appearance on television. He entered at the last 96 stage, but was beaten 6-1 by Paul Cooper. In October, he tried to qualify for the 2008 Grand Slam of Darts
2008 Grand Slam of Darts
The 2008 Grand Slam of Darts was the second staging of the darts tournament, the Grand Slam of Darts organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The event took place from 15–23 November 2008 at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall...
but was defeated in the early rounds. Later that month however, Rodríguez began to finally make significant gains in the PDC. In the second of two Players Championship events in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, he reached his first PDC quarter-final before being defeated by the eventual winner James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
.
The run of form continued in October as Rodríguez reached the final of the German Darts Trophy, beating noted veterans Peter Manley
Peter Manley
Peter David Manley is an English professional darts player who plays in the Professional Darts Corporation. He is nicknamed One Dart as he is known for hitting doubles with his first dart...
and Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter
Kevin Painter is an English professional darts player who plays in Professional Darts Corporation tournaments, where he is known as "The Artist"...
3-0 in the quarter-finals and semi-finals, before being defeated in a last leg decider by Colin Osborne
Colin Osborne
Colin Osborne is an English darts player currently playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.-Darts career:Osborne has won two PDC Pro Tour events and he also managed to hit two perfect nine dart finishes in 2005...
. This performance guaranteed Rodríguez's place in the inaugural European Championship
2008 European Championship Darts
The 2008 European Championship was the inaugural edition of the PDC tournament, the European Championship, which allowed the top European players to compete against the highest ranked players from the PDC Order of Merit...
and the 2009 PDC World Championship
2009 PDC World Darts Championship
The 2009 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship was the 16th World Championship organised by the Professional Darts Corporation since it separated from the British Darts Organisation....
. Less than a week later Rodríguez, in a major upset, defeated the world number five Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins
Terry Jenkins is an English professional darts player who is nicknamed The Bull, having previously used the nickname "Tucker" for his matches...
in the opening round of the 2008 European Championship, but lost to Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter
Ronnie Baxter is an English darts player. He uses the nickname The Rocket for his matches. Baxter is known for his fast, robotic throwing action...
in the next round.
Rodríguez began his 2009 PDC World Championship campaign with a 3-2 win over then world number 16 Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten
Roland Scholten is a Dutch professional darts player who plays for the Professional Darts Corporation and formerly for the British Darts Organisation. He is nicknamed Tripod or The Flying Dutchman and uses Hey Ya by Outkast as his walk-on. He is currently ranked 45th in the PDC...
of the Netherlands to safely carry him through the second round, but he was then beaten 1-4 by Painter. At the 2010 World Championship, he was defeated 0-3 by Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton
Steve Beaton is an English professional darts player for the Professional Darts Corporation...
in the first round.
He teamed up with Antonio Alcinas
Antonio Alcinas
Antonio Alcinas Estelrich is a Spanish darts player, playing in Professional Darts Corporation events.Alcinas started competing in PDC Europe events in 2010. After reaching the Quarter Finals of a Players Championship in Haarlem in June 2010, he qualified for the European Championship via the PDC...
to represent Spain at the 2010 PDC World Cup of Darts
2010 PDC World Cup of Darts
The 2010 PDC World Cup of Darts was the first edition of the PDC World Cup of Darts which took place between December 3 to 5. The tournament was broadcast live on Sky Sports...
. They defeated Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in the first round, before knocking out the top seeds England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(represented by the world's top two players, Phil Taylor and James Wade
James Wade
James Wade is an English professional darts player, currently playing in the Professional Darts Corporation . He became the youngest player ever to win a major PDC title at the World Matchplay in July 2007...
) 6-5 in the second round. In the group stage, they lost to Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
but defeated the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
to qualify for the semi-finals, where they were whitewashed 0-4 by the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.