Dave Chisnall has expressed relief at playing an afternoon match in the first round of the Poland Darts Open in Krakow, contrasting it with late-night starts he has faced elsewhere. The 45-year-old Englishman, who is competing against Darryl Pilgrim on Friday, remarked, "I know that ITV need to get ratings and the like, and hoping people stick around to watch Luke The Nuke, but me going on at 10.30 pm just isn't for me. I'm an old man now and like my sleep!" He added that given his luck as a seeded player on Saturday afternoons last year, the Friday slot might work in his favor.
Chisnall reflected on a challenging previous year on the European Tour, where he exited in the first round eight times in a row. In his column for Kwiff, he admitted, "I had the unfortunate record of going out, I think 8 first round games in a row last year, and whilst it looks like abysmal form (and believe me, I know it ain't pretty reading) I didn't half have some bad luck along the way." Specific setbacks included a loss to Ryan Searle, who averaged 104, a 6-1 defeat by Raymond van Barneveld in Budapest, and another loss to Luke Woodhouse, who averaged 111.
Despite these results, Chisnall noted an important distinction: "When you're turning up and playing well and getting caned, it's not as bad as throwing poorly and narrowly missing out – because mentally you feel you might have nicked. But nevertheless, you've got to keep showing up." He cited recent Pro Tour events in Wigan as encouraging, where he felt he played well despite a 6-3 first-round loss with missed doubles, and a later defeat to Daryl Gurney where he believed he played better. Chisnall concluded optimistically, "The game is good, in a lot better place than 12 months ago, and my manager has actually got me a shirt that fits me this time around lol! Fingers crossed for a good few days in Poland!"
