Feasible darts draws: Pietreczko against Japanese Suzuki
Darts pro Ricardo Pietreczko will play one of the two qualified women in the first match of his World Championship debut. The 29-year-old from Nuremberg - nicknamed Pikachu - will play against Mikuru Suzuki from Japan in London, as the draw revealed.
Pietreczko is in strong form and is considered one of the secret favorites at the tournament at Alexandra Palace. The Englishman Callan Rydz would be waiting in a possible second round. In round three, he would probably face top favorite Luke Humphries (also England).
The second woman in the field at the tournament (December 15 to January 3) is Fallon Sherrock from England, who was the first player to beat two men at the World Championships in 2020. She is a possible second-round opponent for Germany's Martin Schindler, who has a bye. Sherrock will have to prevail against Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.
Florian Hempel will start against Ireland's Dylan Slevin, Dragutin Horvat against Mike de Decker from Belgium. The most unfavorable draw of the German quintet was probably made by World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens. Like Schindler, the 40-year-old from Saarland initially has a walk-through, but will probably have to face high-flyer Gian van Veen from the Netherlands in round two.
The opening match on December 15 will be contested by Kevin Doets from the Netherlands and Stowe Buntz from the USA. The winner will face England's world champion Michael Smith later that evening.
In the realm of darts, the PDC World Championship (WM) sees Pietreczko squaring off against Suzuki in the first round. In a different tournament, the WM, the PDC's top favorite, Luke Humphries, might face Pietreczko in the third round.
Source: www.dpa.com
