PDC World Darts Championship Round-Up | Gerwyn Price charges past Adam Gawlas as Joe Comito produces seismic Springer upset
PDC
Gerwyn Price produced a real statement as he breezed through his PDC World Darts Championship opener, while Niko Springer who was seen as a real dark horse was felled by the DPA Number One, Joe Comito in a huge surprise.
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Other victors were Danny Noppert who is also heavily fancied for a great run over the Festive period also opened up in a Double Dutch affair against Jurjen van der Velde and Ricardo Pietreczko against former major champion Jose de Sousa.
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To Price first though who averaged 96.44, hit six 180's and two 120 checkouts in seeing off a lacklustre Adam Gawlas who had chances to potentially win a set but that was very much a false dawn as Price took the match by the scruff of the neck and while he didn't need to be at his exquisite best, he produced some great darts.
Price opened with a 13-darter on double 18 after a 180 and was at the races early on. He hit double nine and made it 25 darts for two legs. It was a poorer end to the set but he won through. He left the stage pensive and business like instead of his usual roar and boom to the crowd who perhaps were the other big story.
Price has for years been booed at the Alexandra Palace for his role in the infamous 2018 Grand Slam of Darts match against Gary Anderson in very much the match that saw him become public enemy no.1 even wearing ear defenders at the season closer. But since a new audience have entered the darting sphere, Price has got respect and has received chants and his end of walk-on celebration has often been lauded. A real turnaround.
Gawlas threatened a turnaround himself in the second set. Missed chance after chance saw Gawlas lead 2-0 but Price turned it around. He hit double 20 to break and double 10 hold and made it 2-2 and he pinned a 120 checkout at the right time to lead 2-0. Price surged to the winning line from there hitting double 10 to break and a superb 120 checkout to seal it.
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Comito the big surprise as Noppert rock steady as ever
Joe Comito was perhaps the unexpected star though of Wednesday night. 'The Waterboy' who is the DPA Number One has taken some time to acclimatise to TV darts but has been getting stronger and stronger and he downed Niko Springer who looked lacklustre in his defeat.
Comito meant business from the beginning. He was sent the distance in the opening set as Springer hit double six to send it all the way but it went with throw as Comito hit 68 on double four to seal it.
Springer came from nowhere in the second as he wasn't at the races again to seal the second hitting double 10 for 1-1. But back came Comito who hit a 62 checkout to prove he was going nowhere and he produced the checkout of the game in the form of a 155 to go one set away.
Springer looked likely to send it to five sets as Comito was a bit edgy heading towards the finishing line but he missed darts and Comito was gifted the chance to take his time and fall over the line. Big chance too for Josh Rock who now has a fairly open section if he gets past Gemma Hayter.
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Also impressing on Tuesday was Danny Noppert. After reaching a multitude of major semi-finals this year, the Dutchman who is seen as unconventional compared to some of the more big names in the elite could pose issues when it comes to the Premier League eight the PDC likely desire.
He has been one of the most consistent players on tour over the past two years and for some is overdue a tilt in the roadshow and a good World Championship run would help with that. He saw off his fellow Dutchman Jurjen van der Velde to open up.
Van der Velde led early with a 120 checkout but Noppert broke and hit an 81 checkout for 2-1 as he went one away from the opening set. Van der Velde sent it the distance on double 10 but Noppert hit double eight to take the first set.
Van der Velde hit 109 to crown off the run towards the second set that he took with a 65 checkout. But Noppert was back at the races. He sealed an 88 checkout for the third set and was one away with a 135 checkout en route towards the third set he needed that he took with a 96 average in the end, seven 180's and two ton plus checkouts. Superb from 'The Freeze'.
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Finally Ricardo Pietreczko did what Springer couldn't as he made light work of Jose de Sousa 3-1. De Sousa caused late trouble for 'Pikachu' but he was superb throughout.
De Sousa now ends a run as a Tour Card holder, a Premier League finalist and major champion a few years ago he will now head to Q-School to save his career.
While Pikachu lives to fight another day after a great start. Mixed fortunes though with Springer heading out. Schindler awaits but Hopp, Merk and Clemens are through too so not all hope is lost.
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Samuel GillChief Content Officer
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.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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- She is a professional. If darts is her income, she is a professional. Same as Adrian Lewis, Martin Adams. A tour card just means someone can play on the PDC tour. You could even make a case that Clayton wasn't a professional (until recently I believe) because he had employment elsewhere.BandB04-11-2026
- She's technically not a professional though as she doesn't hold a pro tour card.mr-pablo04-11-2026
- Such a shame that lakeside has been reduced to this. Fantastic venue,and previously a great tournament. Not any morerick6703-11-2026
- Seems to me that the top 16 players pick and choose whatever they want to play. Good,all the money will get spread out more. They get more money from exhibitions than tournaments so let them all withdrawrick6703-11-2026
- Play all legs and the winners split the pot. Luke gets the lot of he wins them all. If your occupation is darts player you can't enter, regardless of ability.BandB01-11-2026
- I'm quite a jaded person all things considered, but to be honest I found Beat Luke Littler to be pretty entertaining. It certainly wasn't seamless, which is to be expected given the lack of precedence, but I actually think the pacing was pretty good, the production was impressive, and there was a good sense of humour and levity to it. I think it was a very ambitious undertaking but one that, for the most part, paid off. I liked the system with the four pots and I think it added to the drama and intrigue. I enjoyed seeing the diverse range of entrants and learning about their backstories. I think the interactivity was pretty clever and well-integrated. The panel was a little incoherent at times; Lee Mack shone however, and his improvisational skills were appreciated during some more awkward interstitial moments. As far as the darts is concerned, it was a shame that the format didn't allow Littler to get into full flow. You obviously don't want him to steamroll everyone but you want to feel like you're getting the full Littler package rather than seeing him struggling to get out of first gear. I will say that his leg against Jayden Walker was very impressive, but it was mostly downhill from there. The attraction revolves around Littler being this untouchable, indomitable force, yet the format doesn't really allow him to fulfil that characterisation. As for Fallon Sherrock, she was mightily impressive and deserved the victory. It is a testament to her unshakeable character that she was able to bang in a 14-darter under such mind-bending pressure. Everything that has been said about the misleading marketing is valid, though they were clear about their eligibility criteria and were able to offload the responsibility somewhat by bringing the viewers into the decision-making process in real time. What is clear though, is that Fallon played the game according to the rules, and she should not be criticised for that, much less abused. I will admit though that it is a kick in the teeth for those true amateurs who committed time and money to the course, and I would also question those who think pub players would have no chance, given that some of Littler's winning legs were dispatched in 7 visits to the board! The great thing about darts is that it isn't so much that amateurs cannot replicate the feats of brilliance pulled off by professionals of the sport, than it is that they simply cannot replicate the consistency of their output, something that this format almost entirely removes from the equation. It should also be noted that, financially, Fallon certainly stands to benefit much less in relative terms from the paycheque than would your average pub thrower, as I'm sure she nets a fair income from the lucrative exhibition circuit alone. What I do hope is that she might use this as an opportunity to really build up a head of steam heading into the new season, as it seems long overdue that she come through Q-School and really take it to the pros on a week-in week-out basis, but whatever she chooses to do, she has certainly achieved enough already for one if not several lifetimes, so who am I to dictate terms? To conclude though, I will state once again that I found Beat Luke Littler to be a pretty enjoyable evening of entertainment. I do feel for the contestants who never actually had the chance to try their luck against the world #1, although I suppose it comes with the format, but all which inevitably raises the question: will Netflix be tempted to do it all again next year? It's hard to say. Whether it would be financially viable, I can't weigh in there. One point I have been making though, and which I touched on earlier, is that the entire concept relies on a public perception that Littler is more or less unbeatable, and that certainly hasn't been the case of late. If the execs had been trying to pitch the show in recent months while Littler has seemed vulnerable, rather than when he was mopping up almost every major title on the calendar, it would certainly be a tougher sell. We will have to see in about 6 months' time whether Littler can still reliably command perception as a near-unstoppable force in darts, and then we'll have a clearer idea about whether we should expect a second helping. Even as a one-off experiment though, and with all the controversy taken into account, I still don't think they disgraced themselves by any means, and that will probably be my lingering assessment of the event when all is said and done.Deduce635801-11-2026
- Fair play to Fallon. But...shows the mockery when a professional players wins what was meant to be an amateur v Pro event, Littlers performance was poor, and what about the players who didn't get a game? Would have been better if the pot was split amoungst all the winners and they all got a leg.BandB31-10-2026
- Not even slightly interestedrick6730-10-2026
- And yet the PDC has decided to aggravate this problem by doubling the Players Championship Finals field from 2027. I can't imagine there will be fewer withdrawals next year with even less reason to turn up. I can only hope that a whole slew of Challenge Tour top-up players receive enough prize money in the absence of much of the elite, that some of the more complacent among them struggle to scrape into even a heavily diluted field! More semi-pro players will get to test their mettle, but the standard of competition will be much inferior. It could hardly be said that the Players Championship series will provide an opportunity for darts' second string to test their Tour Card credentials anymore, but at least it will underscore the achievements of those Challenge Tour players of current and previous years, who were able to prove themselves as more than capable of competing with, and beating, the elite of the sport on a consistent basis, and reaping the due rewards.Deduce635828-10-2026
- No point in being there? Champions want to win.Deduce635828-10-2026