"4-1 up, I thought nothing can go wrong now" - Van Barneveld survives Pietreczko fightback to reach final day at Swiss Darts Trophy 2024

Raymond van Barneveld has qualified for the last sixteen of the 2024 Swiss Darts Trophy after a real thriller. The 57-year-old Dutchman beat Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5 in the second round and now faces Ross Smith.

Van Barneveld raced out into a 4-1 lead, but then saw Pietreczko start to fight back. "Last week against Ross Smith, he gave up after one leg because of injury. Then midweek in Leicester, he had averages of 84 and 69, so it was hard to prepare. I didn't know which Ricardo would turn up," Barney reflected afterwards. "4-1 up, I thought nothing can go wrong now, but then with that incredible finish he came back to 4-4."

"I was really nervous but I thought to myself, I'm playing well here," Van Barneveld continues, despite his average remaining around the 90 mark. "That doesn't really matter. The win is what's important."

In the last sixteen on Sunday afternoon, Van Barneveld will take on Ross Smith, whom he lost to just last week at the Hungarian Darts Trophy. The winner of that duel will take on the winner of the match between Stephen Bunting and Martin Schindler in the quarterfinals.

The Swiss Darts Trophy will be broadcast on PDC TV. As usual with Euro Tour tournaments, the Swiss Darts Trophy consists of three tournament days. The afternoon sessions start on Friday and Saturday at 12:00, while the evening sessions then start at 18:00. On Sunday, the sessions start at 11:00 and 17:00.

The first round will take place on Friday. The 16 Order of Merit qualifiers and the winners from the various qualifying tournaments then make their appearance. The top-16 seeded players enter the tournament on Saturday in the second round. Sunday will see the denouement of the tournament, starting with the third round in the afternoon session. Sunday evening will be followed by the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.