Former world champions Michael Smith and Raymond van Barneveld suffered early casualties at the Belgian Darts Open in Wiese.
Smith was beaten 6-3 by Ireland’s Mickey Mansell, but Mansell managed to check out more than two tons, including an astonishing 161 not out.
Mansell will now face another former world champion, Michael van Gerwen.
Five-time world champion Van Barneveld lost 6-1 to Boris Krtschmar in his first appearance on the European Tour in 2026.
The enigmatic Croatian reaffirmed his pedigree on the big stage, averaging 101 points, finishing 116 and 121, setting up an enthralling showdown with reigning champion Luke Littler.
Wessel Nijman’s bid for a consecutive European Tour title came to an end with a 6-3 loss to Sebastian Bialecki.
Dave Chisnall, Luke Woodhouse, Ricky Evans and Ryan Joyce were among the first round winners on the first day of the tournament.
Kim Huybrecht was an outstanding performer
Two-time European Tour champion Kim Huybrecht had perhaps the standout performance on Friday, averaging 101.76 points and posting an impressive 6-4 victory over Germany’s Nico Springer.
“This is what you play darts for,” said the former World Cup finalist from Belgium, who will face Josh Locke in the second round.
“The feeling you get when you play in front of your home crowd and win is amazing.
“I’ve been doing really well lately. I’ve been working hard on my matches with Eric[Clarice]but I have to work hard to be at the top level.”
Andy Beitens also performed well on home soil, beating Joe Cullen’s average of 101 and denying the former Masters champion victory in a thrilling final match that set up a showdown with fifth seed Stephen Bunting.
result
2026 Lecott Belgium Darts Open
Friday, March 20th
round one
Afternoon session
Niels Sonnefeld 6-4 Jani Haavist
Luke Woodhouse 6 – 2 Pascal Deveroy
Ricky Evans 6-2 Scott Williams
Ryan Joyce 6-4 Adam Gaulas
Cameron Menzies 6-1 Sietse Lap
William O’Connor 6-1 Tyler Thorpe
Ryan Meikle 6-4 Francois Schweyen
Mickey Mansell 6-3 Michael Smith
evening session
Dave Chisnall 6-2 Thibault Trichole
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Krzysztof Ratajski
Andy Batens 6-5 Joe Cullen
Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 Wessel Nyman
Boris Krutschmer 6-1 Raymond van Barneveld
Darryl Gurney 6-1 Ian White
Kim Huybrecht 6-3 Nico Springer
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Lukas Wennig
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries is defending his title and you can watch the match every Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and other top sports now.
