After an exciting match, Ricardo Pietreczko became the first German player to reach the third round of the Darts World Cup.
The 31-year-old won 3-2 against No. 21 seed Dave Chisnall in London on Saturday (December 20, 2026). The Berlin native is now playing against Andreas Harrysson for a return to the round of 16. The Swede had previously easily defeated Motomu Sakai from Japan 3-0.
Pietreczko failed in the round of 16 at the last World Cup to Nathan Aspinall from England. Against Chisnall he found the match very well and quickly grabbed the first two sets. From the third round onwards, the Englishman suddenly played better and equalized.
Decision in extra time
In the fifth set, the decision after match dart Chisnall only came in extra time – with the better end for “Pikachu”.
“That was a rollercoaster,” Pietreczko said in a hoarse voice on the Sport1 microphone: “I often shouted at the board because I couldn’t believe that I was almost giving up a 2-0.”
Four more Germans still in the race
After Pietreczko, four more darts professionals from Germany want to reach the third knockout round. World Cup returnee Max Hopp will first meet Englishman Luke Woodhouse on Sunday afternoon, before German number one Martin Schindler plays against Irishman Keane Barry in the evening.
On Monday, former World Cup semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens will face Wessel Nijman from the Netherlands, then Arno Merk wants to beat two-time world champion Peter Wright on Tuesday.