2023-10-15 21:18:51
AMAZING – Sensation and German darts history in Hildesheim: Ricardo Pietreczko crowned his incredible performance at the German Darts Championship with tournament victory.
In the final, “Pikachu” defeated two-time world champion Peter Wright 8:4 and became the second German winner on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) Pro Tour. Previously, only former junior world champion Max Hopp had won a PDC Pro Tour event in 2018 – also in Germany (German Darts Open in Saarbrücken).
“It feels like a dream,” he said after the game, while Wright said with a grin: “I hope you don’t play as well again in the next tournament.”
Pietreczko, who only became a professional with the tour card at the beginning of January 2022, was qualified for the World Cup in London (December 15, 2023 to January 3, 2024) before the tournament.
The start to the finale was tailor-made for “Pikachu”, which opens with the Pokemon theme song. He immediately pushed the pace and got the break straight away. At his own throw, Pietreczko – number 63 in the world before the tournament – gave Wright no chance and used his first leg dart while his opponent still had 200 points on the credit side.
But that’s not enough. Pietreczko continued to scratch an average of 100 points with his scoring and also took the third round. Wright hasn’t had a single checkout chance to date. Nothing changed in the fourth leg. The 28-year-old was once again ripped off and once again took advantage of his first checkout opportunity.
“Pikachu” with crazy checkout rates
But then his Scottish opponent woke up a bit, also helped because “Pikachu” didn’t score that high for the first time. The double four secured his first round.
When Pietreczko threw, “Snakebite” had the chance to shorten the score, but his throw to the bullseye missed the target. In return, his opponent checked 116 and restored the old distance.
German Darts Championship: Pietreczko and Wright in an interview after the final
The high-class game continued to go back and forth. Wright shortened, but “Pikachu” answered. He maintained his outstanding checkout rate of 100 percent.
With the score at 7:4, the Berliner had the first opportunity to make history. Driven by the home fans, he picked up the pace and also hit his eighth throw on a double field – the perfect end. “I didn’t even have that in mind. I was just happy that they went in,” he explained with a laugh about his 100 percent double rate.
“Pikachu” succeeds in a coup against Michael van Gerwen
In the semifinals, the German defeated Michael van Gerwen 7:6 in a highly dramatic match. At the beginning the game was a pure break festival. None of the first five rounds could be won by the starter. It was fitting for the evening that the German was the first to manage to save his throw.
He continued to do needle pricks afterwards. He got the break to make it 6:3 and had the chance to win with his own throw. However, with 60 points remaining, his dart slipped into triple 1, opening the door for MvG. He struck coldly and forced the decider.
German Darts Championship: Pietreczko in an interview after reaching the semi-finals
There the German darts professional turned things up again and had a chance of winning with nine darts. The first dart on double 18 immediately found its target and caused the darts sensation of the weekend to jump in celebration.
“Pikachu” with a crazy comeback in the quarterfinals
At the start of the evening, “Pikachu” turned a 0:3 deficit against Stephen Bunting into a 6:4 victory and caused the hall in Hildesheim to shake for the first time.
At the start, things didn’t go as planned for the German. Although he regularly got into the finish area, he missed the best opportunities there. Bunting, on the other hand, was consistent and used all of his first three darts on doubles.
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But “Pikachu” didn’t give up and countered. With his own throw, he reduced the score to 1:3 before the Englishman restored the old distance a little later.
From now on almost only the 28-year-old Pietreczko played. Thanks to a strong average of 102.23 points, he reached the finish area early and took advantage of his chances this time.
“Pikachu” versus Schindler historically
He partially played number 25 in the world rankings against the wall, because in the last five legs Bunting didn’t throw a dart on a double field. After two breaks, Pietreczko used his second match dart to complete the sensation.
In the second round, Pietreczko played a 107.08 three-dart average in a 6-2 victory over compatriot Martin Schindler. In addition to his personal record, it was the third best value by a German in the history of the tour.
Clemens misses a coup against Michael van Gerwen
Gabriel Clemens also had a sniff of a major coup. The German darts star narrowly missed the surprise against Michael van Gerwen.
Clemens had a match dart when the score was 5:5, but it narrowly missed its target. The Dutchman was able to save himself into the semi-finals with a score of 6:5.
It was a thrilling duel between the two players. However, Van Gerwen initially wobbled onto the double fields, so Clemens struck and took the lead 1-0 thanks to a break.
The German then promptly played the first 180 of the game, but then his opponent initially took over the game. He first got the re-break and shortly afterwards went 2-1 in front.
Clemens leaves the match dart behind
When “MvG” Clemens intercepted the throw again thanks to a 132 finish, the game threatened to tip over. But the “German Giant” didn’t let himself be defeated and countered. He went one better and secured the re-break.
After the 3-3 equalizer, both players struggled to reach the double fields, but Clemens finally struck. But the checkout problems continued at our own attempt. He missed four darts to take a 5-3 lead, so van Gerwen equalized.
A dramatic showdown resulted in the decider. There, the favorite from the Netherlands initially missed the bullseye to victory, so that Clemens had the chance to win with 104 points remaining. However, his dart on double 20 was a little too low, so his opponent decided the game with his second match dart.
The final session at a glance:
Gabriel Clemens – Michael van Gerwen 5:6
Ricardo Pietreczko – Stephen Bunting 6:4
Damon Heta – Peter Wright 4:6
Luke Humphries – Robb Cross 6:4
Michael van Gerwen – Ricardo Pietreczko 6:7
Peter Wright – Luke Humphries 7:5
Ricardo Pietreczko – Peter Wright 8:4
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