PREVIEW 2026 PDC World Darts Championship: Mouth-watering Tuesday evening sees Van Gerwen, Anderson, Rock & Noppert in action at Ally Pally

The second round of the World Darts Championship is almost over, and the brief Christmas break is in sight. But first, the final four matches still have to be played on Tuesday evening. Among them are two Dutchmen, a former world champion, and a dark horse for the title.

We open the evening with a tie to look forward to: our own Danny Noppert takes on Justin Hood. Next up, two-time world champion Gary Anderson steps onto the stage. “The Flying Scotsman” faces Connor Scutt. Then it’s time for Michael van Gerwen, who must deal with Irishman William O'Connor. Finally, we get one of the outsiders for the title: Josh Rock. He goes up against Joe Comito.

A cracking opener to start the session. Danny Noppert plays his second match against the diminutive Englishman Justin Hood. Noppert produced a solid display in his first round against compatriot Jurjen van der Velde, who at times made life tricky for him. Noppert took the opening set via a deciding leg, but then lost the second set rather tamely. The third set again went to a decider, in which Noppert pinned an 88 checkout to regain the lead. In the eventual deciding set, Noppert showed why he is the world number 5. He fired a 135 checkout to break Van der Velde, then threw back-to-back 13-darters to win the set 3-0 and seal the match.

Debutant Hood also impressed in his opener. The Englishman averaged close to 100 and showed no signs of stage fright at Ally Pally. He flew out of the blocks and took the first set 3-0, including two 13-darters. In the second set, his opponent Nick Kenny put up more resistance, forcing a deciding leg. Hood, however, produced another 13-darter to move 2-0 up. In the third set he checked out 90, 104 and 80 for three consecutive 15-darters and a 3-0 win in sets.

While Noppert is the clear favorite on paper, this match could be much tighter than many expect. If Hood maintains this level, we are in for a real contest and Noppert will need to find top gear to win. The question is whether Hood can replicate it.

Next up is a clash between two-time world champion Gary Anderson and Connor Scutt. Anderson played a fine first-round match, but could easily have lost. His opponent Adam Hunt unexpectedly played at a high level, turning it into a genuine contest. The first set went to a deciding leg straight away, which Anderson won superbly in 11 darts by taking out 96. In the second set, Hunt checked out 72 in another decider to level at 1-1. After a third successive set went to a fifth leg, Hunt even moved in front. Anderson, however, took the fourth set in 14, 11 and 12 darts to make it 2-2. In the deciding set, “The Flying Scotsman” ultimately edged it.

Scutt’s match followed a completely different script. The Englishman cruised into a 2-0 lead in sets against Simon Whitlock and looked headed for a comfortable win. Scutt then dipped and began missing doubles, allowing Whitlock to claw back to 2-2 in sets. In the decider, thanks in part to a superb 127 checkout, Scutt still got over the line. On paper Anderson is the favorite, and based on their openers that seems fair. Anderson averaged over 95, while Scutt was close to 91. If Anderson hits his usual standard, he should normally win this match.

Then it’s the turn of “Mighty” Michael van Gerwen, who meets one of the first-round standouts, William O'Connor. Van Gerwen labored through his opener and was fortunate to escape against Japan’s Mitsuhiko Tatsunami. The Dutchman started slowly, allowing Tatsunami to take the first set 3-1 with three 18-darters. In the second set the Japanese player again went 2-0 up, putting Van Gerwen in real trouble. “MVG” turned it around smartly, reeled off two 14-darters to level at 2-2, and then took the decider. The third set went comfortably to the Dutchman, but the fourth was perilous again. Tatsunami once more led 2-0, and after Van Gerwen pulled back to 2-1 he missed five darts for the set. “Mighty Mike” forced 2-2 and, after four further misses from the Japanese player, managed to get the job done.

O'Connor, for his part, made a real statement in his opening match. The Irishman posted a 102.36 average, the highest of the first round, leaving his opponent Krzysztof Kciuk with no chance. Although the first set went to O'Connor 3-2, he cruised through the next two sets 3-0 to send a warning to Van Gerwen. The question is whether this was a one-off or if O'Connor can hit that level again. If so, Van Gerwen has a serious problem and will need to be much better than in his opener. But even if O'Connor drops 10 points on his average, the Dutchman still needs to find another gear if he wants to win. Where Van Gerwen would normally be a clear favorite against the Irishman, this could be a lot tighter than people might have expected.

Finally, we get a clash between Josh Rock and Joe Comito. Josh Rock faced Gemma Hayter in his opener and, despite never really being in trouble, the Northern Irishman didn’t have it all his own way. He was wasteful on the doubles in particular (finishing at 33.3%), which kept Hayter in the contest. Rock wasn’t threatened in the first two sets, even though his doubling wasn’t sharp. Hayter did take the third set, which hinted it might get interesting. In set four a deciding leg was required, but ‘Rocky’ took out 81 to close it out.

Comito produced a surprise by knocking out German revelation Niko Springer 3-1 in the first round. Springer underperformed, and Comito took full advantage. He clinched the deciding fifth leg of the opening set with a 14-darter, after which Springer leveled at 1-1. The third set, however, surprisingly went 3-0 to the New Zealander. Set four went to a deciding leg, where Springer squandered chances and Comito completed the upset. Normally, though, Rock should be a step too far for Comito.