
The expanded format of the 2026 PDC World Championship has already produced several notable first-round results, with few more eye-catching than David Munyua’s comeback victory over former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker. It ranks as one of the biggest upsets the tournament has seen at this stage.
Ross Smith was also an unexpected early casualty, losing to debutant Andreas Harrysson. That result further opened up a quarter that had already looked capable of producing a surprise semi-finalist.
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries progressed comfortably, showing their usual level without any major issues. Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen also advanced, although his 3-1 success over Mitsuhiko Tatsunami was less convincing than many would have expected.
Looking ahead to round two, tipster Ben Smith has selected four bets for the next stage of the tournament, all available with BetMGM, one of the leading darts betting sites for this event.
Having come out on top in one of the most dramatic matches of the opening round, Andreas Harrysson has a genuine chance of a fairly significant run here.
His opponent in round two, Motomu Sakai, swept aside an out-of-sorts Thibault Tricole on Thursday, but there is no indication that Harrysson will produce anything like the dismal display seen from the Frenchman.
Harrysson’s average over the past six months is a few points better than Sakai’s. What is more encouraging for his chances here is how active he has been across a range of competitions, and how regularly he has stood up to top players, particularly on the big stage.
The Swede’s 180 rate is also significantly better than Sakai’s over a large sample, so the win and most 180s combination looks a very fair bet at the price.
Dave Chisnall has had a virtually non-existent year on television, so he must have welcomed the limited resistance Fallon Sherrock offered on Thursday night.
Chisnall was hardly at his best himself, posting a sub-90 average and hitting only two maximums, usually one of the more reliable parts of his game.
Ricardo Pietreczko’s average was only marginally above 90, but the performance was still far more impressive than Chisnall’s, as he was under pressure from Jose de Sousa throughout the match.
The German, who enjoyed a strong run to the fourth round here last year, has been trending towards another solid showing at Alexandra Palace. He reached the quarter-finals of the European Championship, beating Josh Rock along the way, and then picked up a couple of wins on the Players Championship circuit, including a triumph over Gary Anderson.
I trust Pietreczko more in the key moments here and make him a good bet in what the top PDC World Darts Championship betting sites have priced as a pick’em.
2021 world champion Gerwyn Price clearly meant business in his first-round encounter with Adam Gawlas. A 96 average and six maximums was a satisfactory start to the campaign for the Welshman, who is chasing his first televised ranking title in over four years.
Despite not reaching a major final this year aside from the World Cup team competition, the Iceman has been excellent on television, particularly against opposition he is expected to beat.
As capable as Wesley Plaisier is, this is not a matchup that should trouble Price if he is anywhere near his best. Plaisier earned an impressive win over Lukas Wenig in the first round, but this represents a significant step up in class and pressure, something we have not yet seen him handle with regularity on TV.
It is not a foregone conclusion that Gezzy earns a whitewash victory, but at the odds available, it is worth a poke.
Raymond van Barneveld may not be the player he once was, but it is still a tall order to step onto the Ally Pally stage and beat the Dutch darts legend to secure a first win at the PDC World Championship.
Stefan Bellmont managed just that, and in emphatic fashion. His level remained steady across all three sets, and there is nothing like a comfortable first-round win against a crowd favourite to help settle into a tournament.
After that performance, it is surprising to see him priced so generously to claim another scalp against Damon Heta. Bellmont’s long-term numbers do not immediately stand out, but neither does Heta’s record in major tournaments, and this is exactly the type of contest and stage where he has often struggled on television.
The Australian is still a worthy favourite, of course, but 3/1 looks far too big a price for Bellmont.
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