Ryuta Arihara enjoyed a historic weekend on the PDC
Asian Tour. The Japanese ace won three tournaments in a row in Manila, taking a huge step toward a
World Darts Championship debut. During Events 22, 23 and 24, Arihara was unstoppable, while the weekend in the Philippine capital also set a record for the number of entrants.
The PDC Asian Tour touched down in Manila on 01/08 2026 and 02/08/2026 for Events 21 through 24. In total, no fewer than 256 players toed the oche, the highest turnout ever across an Asian Tour weekend.
For Arihara, it was a weekend to remember. The 38-year-old had just one Asian Tour title to his name beforehand, but tripled that tally in only two days. Thanks to his outstanding run, he climbed to third on the Asian Tour Order of Merit, putting a first appearance at Ally Pally suddenly within reach.
His streak began at Event 22, where Arihara barely put a foot wrong. Across eight matches he dropped only seven legs. Only against compatriot Haruki Muramatsu did he face real trouble. Trailing 3-1, Arihara battled back superbly and pinched it in a last-leg decider.
He then hit top gear in the quarterfinals and semifinals. Against Johnlloyd Castro he averaged 105.47, before beating Carlo Monsanto with a 105.17 average. In the final, Arihara capped the display by whitewashing both Pin Feng Yeh and Jeffrey Pinas to seal the title.
A day later the Japanese star remained untouchable. At Event 23 he opened with four convincing wins, conceding just one leg. He then survived three nerve-jangling affairs that each went to a last-leg decider.
In succession, Arihara saw off World Championship qualifier Motomu Sakai, reigning Asian champion Lourence Ilagan, and home favorite Paolo Nebrida to secure his second straight title of the weekend.
And he wasn’t done yet. At Event 24, Arihara completed the hat-trick. In the last 16 he beat Daniel Facturanan with an average over 104, then swept Roger Estacio 5-0 thanks to a 101.90 average.
The semifinals brought another thriller against Muramatsu. This time Arihara trailed 4-1, survived multiple match darts, and once again clawed his way back to victory. In the final he left no doubt who the standout of the weekend was, dispatching Christian Perez 5-1 in style.
Lee takes the other title
The only tournament Arihara failed to win was Event 21, the weekend opener. That title went to Hong Kong’s Lok Yin Lee, who claimed his second Asian Tour victory of 2026. Lee reached the semifinals via three last-leg wins and also knocked out Arihara 4-1 in the last 32. He then won both his semifinal and the final 5-3, defeating Takayuki Masatsu in the title match.
Despite his loss in the Event 24 final, Christian Perez still tops the Asian Tour Order of Merit. Motomu Sakai sits second, while Arihara has surged to third after his exceptional weekend. Haruki Muramatsu and Man Lok Leung currently round out the top five. Paolo Nebrida and Lok Yin Lee follow in sixth and seventh.
At season’s end, the top five players on the PDC Asian Tour Order of Merit will qualify for the PDC World Darts Championship 2026/27 at Alexandra Palace in London. With three titles in a single weekend, Arihara has given his bid for a historic World Championship debut a massive boost.
PDC Asian Tour results
Event 21
| Lok Yin Lee | 5-3 | Takayuki Masatsu |
Event 22
| Ryuta Arihara | 5-0 | Jeffrey Pinas |
Event 23
| Ryuta Arihara | 5-4 | Paolo Nebrida |
Event 24
| Ryuta Arihara | 5-1 | Christian Perez |