The 2026 Belgian Darts Open saw a chaotic close to round one on Friday evening in Wieze, with several big names falling at the first hurdle. Fresh from his European Darts Trophy triumph last weekend, Wessel Nijman saw his momentum halted immediately, while Joe Cullen and Raymond van Barneveld also exited on a night of drama and high-quality scoring.
Sebastian Bialecki produced a composed 6-3 victory over Nijman, averaging just under 100 and sealing the win with an 81 checkout. Andy Baetens edged out Joe Cullen 6-5 in a dramatic decider, holding his nerve to pin D8 after Cullen missed darts to win. Boris Krcmar dismantled Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 with a 101 average, capping the display with a 116 finish.
Kim Huybrechts came through a strong test against Niko Springer, sealing a 6-3 victory in a high-quality clash where both players averaged close to or above the ton. Cristo Reyes delivered the finish of the night, closing out a 6-4 win over Krzysztof Ratajski with a stunning 160 checkout. Daryl Gurney made a solid start with a comfortable 6-1 win over Ian White.
Dave Chisnall opened the evening session with a 6-3 win over Thibault Tricole, recovering from a slow start to take control. Dirk van Duijvenbode wrapped up the session with a 6-3 victory over Lukas Wenig, averaging just under 99 and sealing the win with a 64 checkout on D16.
