Sensational Rock comeback sees off Van Duijvenbode and Ratajski books semi-final spot at the German Darts Open

Josh Rock and Krzysztof Ratajski are the first men through the semi-finals of the German Darts Open, courtesy of quarter-final victories over Dirk van Duijvenbode and Danny Noppert respectively.

The first quarter-final tie saw Krzysztof Ratajski face off against former UK Open champ, Danny Noppert. The Pole raced into an early lead, going 4-0 up with some splendid darts. 'The Freeze' did come back into the game, winning 3 of the next 4 legs, but the slow start proved fatal for Noppert as Ratajski ran out a 6-3 to book his spot in the final four.

Next up was arguably the tie of the round as Dirk van Duijvenbode squared off against Josh Rock. Both players started brightly, especially on their doubles. A 100 checkout from Van Duijvenbode responded to by a 109 from Rock in the following leg. As Van Duijvenbode began to press home and advantage, stretching into a 4-1 lead, Rock looked in trouble. The Northern Irishman would not be denied however, and came roaring back into the contest, prevailing in a thriller 6-5 thanks to a 12-dart leg in the decider.