Radek Szaganski struggles to 3-2 win over Marko Kantele setting up round 2 showdown with Raymond van Barneveld
PDCWednesday, 20 December 2023 at 14:59
Radek Szaganski has set up a second round tie with Raymond van Barneveld courtesy of a 3-2 win over Marko Kantele.
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Starting off Wednesday's action was an international affair, as Poland's Szaganski took on Finland's Kantele. Although both started slowly, missed doubles from Kantele proved costly as Szaganski took the opening set.
Whilst Szaganski was hardly setting the world alight, averaging just 77, he broke the Kantele throw in the opening leg of set 2. The Fin reeled off the next two legs however, with Szaganski holding in leg 4 to send us to a decider. Kantele took it levelling up the match.
Although both were still averaging in the 70s, the tight nature of the contest was intriguing. Set 3 also went all the way to a decider, Szaganski missed seven darts for the set, allowing Kantele the chance and he took it to move 2-1 up.
Pushing his average above 80, Szaganski took control of set 4 with a break of throw in the opener. Some missed darts from the Pole in leg 2 however, allowed Kantele to break straight back with a 110. Kantele was then the one who saw his misses punished in the following leg, and with Szaganski kept that momentum to force a deciding set.
Taking out 142 out of nowhere, Szaganski took the opener of set 5. An 80 checkout then broke the Kantele throw in leg 2, putting the Pole on the brink. With a 74 checkout in leg 3, it was game over.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
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