International Darts Open 2023 | Day Three Preview and Order of Play
The 2023 International Darts Open reaches its climax in Riesa on Sunday as the 16 remaining players battle it out for the title.
A £30,000 top prize is up for grabs at the SACHSENarena as 13 seeds and three qualifiers collide over two sessions.
The afternoon session plays host to the Third Round ties, before the Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and final follow in the evening.
Reigning champion Gerwyn Price steps up the defence of his title with a tie against Belgium’s Mike De Decker.
Price has proved the dominant force in Riesa in recent years, winning three of the last four stagings of the International Open, and the Welshman is targeting back-to-back Euro Tour titles following last week’s triumph in Leverkusen.
Having averaged 104.2 in a 6-3 win over Ross Smith on Saturday, Price now meets scoring specialist De Decker – who pulled off a shock 6-1 rout of Michael Smith to follow up Friday’s opening win over Callan Rydz.
Michael van Gerwen has racked up a staggering 35 European Tour titles but is yet to claim the International Open trophy, and he resumes his challenge with a meeting with 16th seed Jose De Sousa.
The Premier League leader and UK Open finalist survived two missed match darts from Matt Campbell before edging through in a deciding leg, while De Sousa enjoyed a contrastingly comfortable 6-0 whitewash of Lee Evans.
Dave Chisnall continues his bid for a second European Tour title of the season when he comes up against Thursday’s Premier League Night Nine winner Jonny Clayton.
Chisnall claimed the Baltic Sea Darts Open title in February and began his campaign here by defeating UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 6-2 with a 100.5 average, while Clayton recovered from 3-1 down to defeat Belgium’s Brian Raman 6-4.
Dirk van Duijvenbode came agonisingly close to capturing his first Euro Tour title a week ago, missing two match darts in a dramatic deciding leg defeat in the final, and the Dutchman resumes his quest to go one better when he meets compatriot Danny Noppert.
Van Duijvenbode knocked out home favourite Gabriel Clemens in his opener on Saturday, while Noppert was forced to dig deep to seal a 6-5 win over teenage debutant Liam Maendl-Lawrance in a gruelling contest.
Peter Wright, the 2017 International Open champion, looks to secure another confidence-boosting victory at the expense of his fellow Scotsman Alan Soutar.
Wright, who sits rock bottom of the Premier League table, atoned for last weekend’s shock defeat to Ricardo Pietreczko as he overcame Spain’s Jose Justicia 6-3 on Saturday with a 97.3 average and three ton-plus finishes.
Soutar, meanwhile, finds himself through to the final day of a Euro Tour event for the first time, after victories over Jeroen Mioch and ninth seed Joe Cullen.
Having seen off Scott Williams in Round One, Host Nation qualifier Niko Springer continued his superb form on the European Tour this season by thrashing an out of sorts Dimitri van den Bergh 6-1 to set up a clash with second seed Damon Heta.
World Cup of Darts winner Heta dispatched Brendan Dolan 6-3 with a 97.8 average and a high finish of 152 and will be out to spoil the party against the home favourite.
Former UK Open champion Nathan Aspinall resumes his pursuit of a maiden Euro Tour title with a clash against German number two Martin Schindler.
Premier League star Aspinall was a comfortable 6-2 winner over Belgium’s Mario Vandenbogaerde in Round Two, while Schindler thrilled a 4,000-strong crowd on Saturday night by defeating five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld 6-4.
Another mouth-watering encounter sees 2018 World Champion Rob Cross take on reigning World Youth Champion Josh Rock.
The pair met twice on the European Tour last season, with Cross coming out on top on both occasions, though ‘Voltage’ came up short in three finals during the campaign.
Third seed Cross saw off Steve Lennon in his opener, while Rock battled past Florian Hempel 6-4 from 4-2 down with the aid of five maximums.
The action gets under way from 12pm BST, with Third Round and Quarter-Final ties to be contested over the best of 11 legs, Semi-Finals best of 13 and the final best of 15.
WATCH THE INTERNATIONAL DARTS OPEN STREAMED LIVE HERE
18+ | T&Cs Apply | Geo Restrictions may apply | Gamble Aware
International Darts Open 2023 Day Three Schedule
All times BST (Local time one hour ahead)
Sunday April 2
Afternoon Session (12pm-4pm)
Last 16
Michael van Gerwen v Jose de Sousa
Peter Wright v Alan Soutar
Dave Chisnall v Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall v Martin Schindler
Damon Heta v Niko Springer
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Danny Noppert
Rob Cross v Josh Rock
Mike De Decker v Gerwyn Price
Evening Session (6pm-10pm)
Quarter-Finals
Van Gerwen/De Sousa v Wright/Soutar
Chisnall/Clayton v Aspinall/Schindler
Heta/Springer v Van Duijvenbode/Noppert
Cross/Rock v De Decker/Price
Semi-Finals
Final
Latest Free Bet Offers (18+)
CLICK HERE TO CLAIM THIS OFFER
*18+ only. New Customers only. Bet £10* & Get £30* in Free Bets. Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. GambleAware.org. *or currency equivalent.
CLICK HERE TO CLAIM THIS OFFER
Full T&Cs apply. New customers on mobile only. 7 days to claim and stake £10 minimum bet at odds of 1.5 or greater to qualify. Free, void, cashed out or partially cashed out bets do not qualify. Max 3x £10 free bets credited on bet settlement. Free bets must be used on 4 or more selections with selection odds of 1.3 or greater. Free bets are non-withdrawable, and stake not returned with winnings. 7 day expiry. 18+. GambleAware.org.
CLICK HERE TO CLAIM THIS OFFER
New customer offer. Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards or Apple Pay will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly.
