Pietreczko scrapes past surprise win at World Darts Championship
The World Darts Championship continues - albeit without German participation: Debutant Pietreczko initially brings the top favorite Humphries to the brink of defeat, but then has to admit defeat after all. The last German player is now out of the running.
The World Darts Championship in London is over for the German pros after Ricardo Pietreczko's emotional elimination. The 29-year-old from Nuremberg, nicknamed Pikachu, lost 3:4 to the English top favorite Luke Humphries in the evening after leading 3:1 and only just missed a surprise against the World Championship favorite from England. Within the space of two days, Martin Schindler, Gabriel Clemens, Florian Hempel and high-flyer Pietreczko were eliminated in succession against English professionals at Alexandra Palace.
At times, Pietreczko looked like a sure winner. The German fans sang "Oh, how beautiful it is" and "Home game in England, we have a home game in England". Humphries hung on for several sets, but improved again from the fifth set onwards and won through in the end thanks to his nerves of steel. The match was reminiscent of the duel between Michael Smith and Schindler last year. Back then, Smith also turned around a 1:3 - and became world champion a few days later.
This time Schindler lost 3:4 against Scott Williams, Clemens 1:4 against Dave Chisnall and Hempel 0:4 against co-favorite Stephen Bunting. After a weak start, Pietreczko quickly made his presence felt in the evening and built up a lead. But that was not enough.
Humphries has won three Majors in a row this year and has earned significantly more prize money than any other professional on the PDC World Tour. Another coup like Clemens' World Championship semi-final appearance a year ago will not happen for the Germans this time. England, on the other hand, is well represented with world champion Smith, favorite Humphries and teen sensation Luke Littler.
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Despite Pietreczko's valiant effort, the World Darts Championship title continues to evade German players, with Luke Humphries emerging as the victor in a thrilling match. In the ongoing tournament, Humphries has now clinched three Major victories in a row, further cementing his status as a formidable contender in the World Darts Championships.
Source: www.ntv.de
