“Pikachu” unstoppable: Ricardo Pietreczko wins the RDL Open after a dominant display in the final
OtherSunday, 02 August 2026 at 21:12
On Saturday, the RDL Open took place in Gevelsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, between Hagen and Wuppertal. The tournament is the RDL’s annual offline event, an online league organized by Fabian Dippold, co-host of the format Tops Tops Tops. Once again, the event attracted numerous well-known names from the darts scene.
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In addition to Tour Card holders Ricardo Pietreczko, Kai Gotthardt, and Pascal Wirotius, prominent internet figures were also in attendance. Among others, Max Meintz (Darts_universe), also a co-host of Tops Tops Tops, and Bela Schugmann (Bela_Darts) took to the oche.
A total of 155 players competed for the title. After the group stage, the top 64 advanced to the Gold bracket, while the remaining players continued in the Silver bracket.
Right at the start of the Gold bracket, Pascal Wirotius made a statement. In a commanding 3-0 win over Kevin Eckertz, he averaged 100.20. Kai Gotthardt and Ricardo Pietreczko also hit their stride early, each producing averages north of 80.
Tour Card showdown becomes the tournament’s highlight
The round of 16 delivered a de facto final. The field’s only two Tour Card holders, Ricardo Pietreczko and Kai Gotthardt, faced off and produced the best match of the entire tournament.
Pietreczko opened with a 16-darter before Gotthardt leveled in 15 darts. After a hold for 2-1, “Pikachu” broke with a 12-darter to move 3-1 up.
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But Gotthardt refused to fold. A 16-darter secured the break-back, and a 17-darter made it 3-3. Earlier in the tournament, he had already hit a 170 finish.
In the decider, Pietreczko showed his full class. Visits of 121, 100, 120, and 96 put him firmly in control, and he cleaned up 64 for a 14-darter and a 4-3 win. Despite an average of around 90, Gotthardt came up short.
Beaten in the last 16 by Ricardo Pietreczko: Tour Card holder Kai Gotthardt
Pietreczko marches confidently to the title
The win over Gotthardt gave Pietreczko extra momentum. In the quarterfinals, he swept aside Marcus Rother 4-1 with a 94 average.
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At the same time, Sebastian Krichen sprung a surprise. Against Pascal Wirotius, he overturned a 1-3 deficit in the quarters to edge it 4-3.
Krichen could not halt Pietreczko’s charge either. With a 95 average, he cruised to a 5-2 semifinal win and booked his place in the final on merit.
Awaiting him was Hans Wüstenberg, who had swept Helmut Paul 5-0 in the other semifinal.
One-sided final ends 6-0
The final quickly became a formality. Pietreczko averaged 103 for his first nine darts and did not allow his opponent a single dart at a double in the first five legs.
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With legs in 18, 17, 17, 20, and 20 darts, the 30-year-old raced into a 5-0 lead. He then sealed the 6-0 whitewash with another 14-darter and claimed the RDL Open title in emphatic style.
Final stage results
| Round | Player 1 | Result | Player 2 |
| Quarterfinal | Sebastian Krichen | 4-3 | Pascal Wirotius |
| Quarterfinal | Ricardo Pietreczko | 4-1 | Marcus Rother |
| Quarterfinal | Hans Wüstenberg | 4-1 | Louis Thye |
| Quarterfinal | Helmut Paul | 4-3 | Jan-Luca Bilak |
| Semifinal | Ricardo Pietreczko | 5-2 | Sebastian Krichen |
| Semifinal | Hans Wüstenberg | 5-0 | Helmut Paul |
| Third-place playoff | Sebastian Krichen | 5-3 | Helmut Paul |
| Final | Ricardo Pietreczko | 6-0 | Hans Wüstenberg |
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Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
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- I play at home against myself, sometimes on Dartcounter, never played league or county. My best average on 501 was 107 which I hit last year. Today I was averaging 94 on a few games of 501, no warm up, just a quick chuck after dinner. I imagine it's a bit different up on stage. I play well at home though and do pretty good for only around 20 minutes play per day. 🙂PaulC02-08-2026
- Indeed I've been to Dublin on numerous occasion the atmosphere was electric and the crowd were always pumped plus the City West was a cool venue. It was a good week away The double start and finish is different and actually very enjoyable but a week in a nothing happening crime riddled city in a soulless stadium does not appeal. The venue does not merit the competition and format.richieburnettrocks02-08-2026
- the grand prix is struggling so we need to change the format? it's the only tournament that HAS a different variant, and the reason it's struggling is the shitty venue/crowd, not the format. literally any other tournament on the calendar would've been a better example.colt01-08-2026
- Beau's just gone 14-12-11-10 to win her second round PC game from 5-2 down. She's a true competitor not a show pony.Scoobedybop29-07-2026
- Quite rightly Beau is more interested in winning meaningful matches?Baphomet29-07-2026
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- Ultimately, Vin man knew when to call it quits. Barney was excellent and one of the greatest darts player ever, but he just doesn't have that ability anymore. Vinman working in media is only saying what he thinks and I like how he doesn't sugar coat things and is completely honest and direct with his comments. Vinman will probably agree he wasn't really on the same level as Barney in their respective heydays.richieburnettrocks13-07-2026
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