World champion Luke Littler put in an outstanding display to open his campaign for PDC SUPERBET Poland Darts Open glory on Saturday, when Luke Humphries defied a late comeback from Krzysztof Ratajski to end home hopes in Krakow.
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Day two of the inaugural Polish Darts Open saw the top seeded stars enter the fray at the EXPO, as Littler put on a darts masterclass to defeat Mike De Decker.
The world number one averaged 113.84 and overcame all six of his double attempts to win 6-1 over the former World Grand Prix champion.
“I definitely needed to put on a performance tonight.” admitted Littler, who won the final four legs of the contest with just 47 darts.
“I haven’t done well in the first three weeks of the Premier League, but I certainly want to be the first winner here in Poland this weekend.”
Humphries, meanwhile, fired a 15-dart counterattack to triumph in a decider against local hero Ratajski, who recovered from 5-2 down to threaten a sensational comeback.
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European champion Gian van Veen also advanced via a penalty shootout in the final match, preventing Andrew Gilding from setting up a fascinating showdown against Nathan Aspinall on Sunday afternoon.
Aspinall, who took the top spot in the European Tour rankings last year, began his 2026 campaign with an impressive 6-3 victory against Darryl Pilgrim, who averaged 101 in a losing cause.
Jonny Clayton and Michael Smith will also meet on finals day, after beating Adam Gawlas and Joe Cullen respectively on Saturday night.
Clayton put in a clinical display in the outer ring to sink a spirited Gawlas 6-4, before Smith crashed seven 180s to edge out Cullen, sealing his progress with an 11-dart break in the decider.
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However, Gary Anderson and James Wade were among the notable casualties in an excellent day of action in the second round, when five seeds fell in Poland.
Wessel Nijman recorded a fourth consecutive victory over Anderson to secure his place in the last 16, averaging 103.46 to complete a 6-2 victory against the two-time world champion.
“I don’t know how I keep beating him” admitted Nijman, who will face Anderson’s compatriot Cameron Menzies in the round of 16.
“Against Gary, I think it was a good pace. I’m really happy with the way I played today and I hope I can play the same game I played today tomorrow.”
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Menzies was equally impressive on day two, blanking a below-average Wade to defeat the southpaw for the fifth time in six meetings.
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Chris Dobey also advanced with a shutout victory over Connor Scutt, converting 67% of his double attempts to set up a round of 16 bout against Luke Woodhouse.
Woodhouse came back from a 4-1 deficit to account for Callan Rydz, reeling off five matches in a row to triumph with an average of 102 and completing the comeback with a clinical 118.
Cristo Reyes will participate on Finals Day in a European Tour event for the first time since 2018, averaging over 99 in a 6-2 victory against World Championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle.
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The Spaniard’s reward is a showdown against Premier League star Josh Rock, who opened his title fight with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over William O’Connor, helped by a 103 average.
Ross Smith also averaged over a ton in his 6-1 demolition of Daryl Gurney, and the former European champion will now face Littler to start finals day.
Stephen Bunting and Jermaine Wattimena will renew their rivalry on the European Tour stage, after overcoming tough competition against Niels Zonneveld and Danny Noppert respectively.
Bunting defied six 180s from Zonneveld to close out a hard-fought 6-4 victory, while Wattimena survived multiple darts to deny Noppert an all-Dutch duel.
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Croatian Boris Krcmar completes the round of 16 line-up, and his reward for eliminating German number one Martin Schindler will be a third round fight against Humphries.
The inaugural Winamax European Tour event of the year concludes on Sunday, with the third round of the afternoon session followed in the afternoon session by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.
2026 SUPERBET Polish Darts Open
Saturday February 21
Second round
afternoon session
Boris Krcmar 6-4 Martin Schindler
Chris Dobey 6-0 Connor Scutt
Nathan Aspinall 6-3 Darryl Pilgrim
Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 Danny Noppert
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Gary Anderson
Cameron Menzies 6-0 James Wade
Ross Smith 6-1 Daryl Gurney
Cristo Reyes 6-2 Ryan Searle
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Afternoon session
Josh Rock 6-1 William O’Connor
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Adam Gawlas
Michael Smith 6-5 Joe Cullen
Luke Littler 6-1 Mike DeDecker
Luke Woodhouse 6-4 Callan Rydz
Luke Humphries 6-5 Krzysztof Ratajski
Stephen Bunting 6-4 Niels Zonneveld
Gian van Veen 6-5 Andrew Gilding
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