Former two-time champion Gary Anderson endured a difficult 54th birthday as he was eliminated from the PDC World Darts Championship in a stunning second-round defeat to Jeffrey de Graaf. The Scot, who claimed the title in 2015 and 2016, failed to perform at his usual high level, hitting just three of his 20 checkout attempts during the match. Anderson was comprehensively beaten 3-0, marking his earliest exit from the tournament. This loss was one of several shocks on a day of upsets at Alexandra Palace, as other seeded players including Ross Smith, Martin Schindler, Dirk van Duijvenbode, and Ritchie Edhouse also saw their campaigns end prematurely.
Anderson entered the competition as the 14th seed, boasting the highest three-dart average of the year at 99.66. However, De Graaf, ranked well below Anderson, capitalized on the Scotsman’s poor performance. The Dutchman showed impressive composure, finishing 75% of his checkouts and starting the match with an 11-dart finish. Despite his nerves, especially when he was 2-0 up, De Graaf maintained his focus and was pleased with his victory. “It’s great,” he said. “Gary didn’t really show up as he usually does, but I am very happy with the win.” De Graaf admitted to feeling nervous at times, particularly after the first set, but managed to close out the match with confidence.
Earlier in the day, Joe Cullen had his own moment of drama after his 3-0 victory over Wessel Nijman. The 2022 Masters champion was visibly frustrated during his post-match press conference, accusing the media of showing him a lack of respect. Cullen’s terse responses during his on-stage interview were followed by a heated exchange with reporters backstage, where he vented his frustration. “I think the way I’ve been treated probably with the media and things like that – I know you guys have no control over the bookies I’ve been shown no respect, so I won’t be showing any respect to any of you guys tonight,” he said before abruptly walking out of the conference. His next opponent will be 2021 World Champion Gerwyn Price, and Cullen will need to refocus as he prepares for a tough challenge.
In another interesting encounter, Ian White took on Ritchie Edhouse in a battle of experience versus youth. White, who is 54, came from behind to defeat the 29th seed 3-1, securing a meeting with the promising 17-year-old Luke Littler. White, who hails from Runcorn, jokingly referred to Littler as “Runcorn’s No 2,” claiming that he was the top player from the town. Despite his lighthearted comments, White acknowledged that he would need to raise his game significantly after posting a modest three-dart average of 88.86 in his win over Edhouse. “You want to cause an upset, you’re going to be the underdog, but I’m all for it,” White said. “Luke Littler’s done everything for this sport at the moment over the last two years, so bring it on.”
There were also some surprising results in other matches. Filipino qualifier Paolo Nebrida pulled off the biggest win of his career, stunning former European champion and 19th seed Ross Smith with a dominant 3-0 victory. Nebrida’s win set up a meeting with De Graaf in the next round. Meanwhile, Dutch 25th seed Dirk van Duijvenbode was also knocked out, losing 3-1 to Latvian Madars Razma. The German No 1, Martin Schindler, was another seeded player to fall, missing a double 12 for a potential nine-darter and a one-set lead before being eliminated 3-0 by Callan Rydz. In another match, Ryan Searle started with a 10-dart finish and cruised to a 3-0 win over Canadian Matt Campbell, continuing his strong run in the tournament.
These early upsets have set the stage for a highly unpredictable PDC World Darts Championship, with several high-profile players already eliminated. The tournament is wide open, and the remaining competitors will need to be at their best to claim the coveted title.