The seventh European Tour event of the season takes centre stage this weekend as Riesa once again hosts the International Darts Open.
Reigning champion Stephen Bunting arrives in Germany seeking to defend the title he captured twelve months ago. His campaign will commence on Saturday evening against either Cristo Reyes or the resurgent Krzysztof Ratajski, who has enjoyed an impressive spell of form in recent weeks.
Across the tournament’s ten-year history, Gerwyn Price remains the competition’s most dominant figure, having lifted the trophy on five separate occasions, most recently in 2023. Should The Iceman wish to extend that remarkable tally, he must first negotiate a second-round encounter with either Jeffrey Sparidaans or Ryan Joyce.
DARTS PLAYER MERCHANDISE AND COLLECTABLES AT OUR DARTSWORLD STORE!
The only other former International Darts Open champions in the field are Joe Cullen and Martin Schindler. Cullen opens his challenge against Chris Landman on Friday evening, while Schindler, buoyed by home support and elevated to a seeded position, awaits the winner of the opening-round contest between Karel Sedlacek and Johan Engstrom.
Curiously, this remains one of the few European Tour titles absent from Michael van Gerwen’s otherwise extraordinary collection. The Dutchman will begin his latest pursuit against either Madars Razma or Hungarian qualifier Gyorgy Jehirszki.
Recent maiden Players Championship winner Luke Woodhouse has been handed a seeded berth and could potentially renew acquaintances with Kevin Doets, the player who defeated him in a previous floor event final. Before that scenario can materialise, however, Hawkeye must first overcome the highly promising Tom Bissell, who makes his first European Tour appearance of the year.
Wessel Nijman, already a six-time title winner this season, including victory at the European Darts Trophy in March, will face either William O’Connor or home representative Paul Krohne. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked player in the field, Gian van Veen, awaits either Connor Scutt or Finn Behrens.
Given the extraordinary depth and competitiveness currently permeating the PDC Pro Tour, the opening round contains several particularly compelling encounters between established names. Among the standout ties are Daryl Gurney against Kim Huybrechts, while Dirk van Duijvenbode meets Rob Cross, who was drafted into the field following Michael Smith’s withdrawal.
MORE ELITE DARTS COVERAGE: Check Out Our Devoted PDC Area
With Euro Tour giants Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gary Anderson and Jonny Clayton among the notable absentees, the opportunity presents itself for a host of contenders to capitalise and make a significant statement in Riesa.
INTERNATIONAL DARTS OPEN (ET7)
Friday 22nd May (Afternoon Session)
Ryan Joyce v Jeffrey Sparidaans
Connor Scutt v Finn Behrens
Madars Razma v Gyorgy Jehirszki
Andrew Gilding v Bradley Brooks
Cameron Menzies v Michael Unterbuchner
Ricardo Pietreczko v Maik Kuivenhoven
Karel Sedlacek v Johan Engstrom
Niels Zonneveld v Keane Barry
Friday 22nd May (Evening Session)
Dave Chisnall v Liam Maendl-Lawrance
Kevin Doets v Tom Bissell
William O’Connor v Paul Krohne
Joe Cullen v Chris Landman
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Rob Cross
Krzysztof Ratajski v Cristo Reyes
Niko Springer v Charlie Manby
Daryl Gurney v Kim Huybrechts
Saturday 23rd May (Afternoon Session)
Jermaine Wattimena v Gilding/Brooks
Damon Heta v Zonneveld/Barry
Luke Woodhouse v Doets/Bissell
Danny Noppert v Pietreczko/Kuivenhoven
Ross Smith v Cullen/Landman
Mike De Decker v Van Duijvenbode/Cross
Wessel Nijman v O’Connor/Krohne
Josh Rock v Menzies/Unterbuchner
Saturday 23rd May (Evening Session)
Chris Dobey v Gurney/Huybrechts
James Wade v Chisnall/Maendl-Lawrance
Ryan Searle v Springer/Manby
Gerwyn Price v Joyce/Sparidaans
Gian van Veen v Scutt/Behrens
Michael van Gerwen v Razma/Jehirszki
Stephen Bunting v Ratajski/Reyes
Martin Schindler v Sedlacek/Engstrom
Images: PDC
