International Darts Open 2026 Roundup | Michael van Gerwen finds response, James Wade escapes the brink and Rob Cross ends Bunting’s defence

Michael van Gerwen, Rob Cross and James Wade all booked quarter-final spots at the 2026 International Darts Open in Riesa on Sunday afternoon, as the final day in Riesa opened with a busy last 16 session.

Van Gerwen produced a much sharper display after his Saturday night scare against Madars Razma, beating Damon Heta 6-3 with a 101.93 average. The Dutchman opened strongly, punished three missed darts at double from Heta with a 120 checkout to go 2-0 up, and later sealed victory with an 81 finish.

The result sets up a quarter-final against Ross Smith, who came through a gruelling 6-4 battle with Ricardo Pietreczko. Smith was pushed throughout by the German, but regular holds of throw and a late break kept him in front before he closed out a hard-fought win.

Cross ended Stephen Bunting’s title defence with a convincing 6-2 win. The former world champion started quickly, moved 3-0 up, and finished the job in style after Bunting missed three darts to stay alive. Cross punished with a 122 checkout on the bullseye to reach the last eight.

Ryan Joyce will meet Cross in the quarter-finals after surviving a dramatic deciding-leg battle with Jermaine Wattimena. Joyce started with back-to-back 180s and led 3-1, but Wattimena fought back and had chances to win. The Dutchman missed one match dart at the bull to close out a 6-4 victory, then missed five more in the decider before Joyce eventually pinned double 8 for a 6-5 win.

Gian van Veen opened the afternoon with one of the cleanest performances of the session, defeating Kevin Doets 6-2 in an all-Dutch clash. Van Veen averaged 103.51 and finished with a stylish two-dart 91 checkout for an 11-dart hold.

He will face Ryan Searle in the quarter-finals after Searle swept past Kim Huybrechts 6-1. Huybrechts threatened a nine-darter with seven perfect darts in the fourth leg, but Searle controlled the match and sealed his first European Tour quarter-final of 2026.

The afternoon’s most dramatic comeback came from Wade, who recovered from 3-0 and 5-3 down to beat Wessel Nijman 6-5. Nijman looked on course for his first win over Wade after breaking early and building a strong lead, but missed chances proved costly. Wade took out a superb 146 finish to deny Nijman a match-winning shot at 130, then survived three match darts in the next leg before forcing a decider.

With the throw in the final leg, Wade produced a 174 followed by a 180 to leave 47, before finishing on double 10 for a trademark escape.

Cameron Menzies completed the quarter-final line-up with a 6-2 win over Martin Schindler. The Scot punished repeated missed doubles from the German number one and silenced the Riesa crowd with a composed performance, including a 102 finish on double 16.

Menzies will now face Wade on Sunday evening, with Van Veen against Searle, Cross against Joyce, and Van Gerwen against Smith completing the quarter-final schedule.