Darts World Cup
Pikachu’s Darts Christmas destination: London instead of Nuremberg
Meets Englishman Callan Rydz: Ricardo Pietreczko on December 23rd. photo
© Bernd Thissen/dpa
A smooth victory and no problems with the fans: the World Cup debut at Alexandra Palace went ideally for Ricardo Pietreczko. It doesn’t work with cards for Harry Potter.
Ricardo Pietreczko had to spontaneously reschedule the leisure program. “The plan was actually for us to go to Harry Potter World. Unfortunately, nothing came of it because the tickets weren’t available,” said the 29-year-old from Nuremberg after his first appearance at the Darts World Cup.
The confident 3-0 win over Mikuru Suzuki from Japan gave hope that Pietreczko, nicknamed Pikachu, can go far in his first World Cup.
“It was very, very nice on stage. I expected more resistance from the audience. I expected a lot more whistles or boos,” said Pietreczko. The fans at Alexandra Palace in London received him well – even though he was playing against a woman. “So far the record hasn’t been good for me against a woman. Now I’ve evened that record,” said Pietreczko. He had previously clearly lost to the Englishwoman Beau Greaves at the Grand Slam.
In contrast to many other athletes, the German is no longer planning a trip home, but wants to stay in London as long as he is in the tournament. “I do it completely spontaneously,” said Pietreczko. His next game will be against Englishman Callan Rydz on December 23rd. With another win, the man from Nuremberg would get a third-round match against the top English favorite Luke Humphries.