Andy Baetens delivered a statement victory on home soil, defeating Stephen Bunting to reach the last sixteen of the Belgian Darts Open in Wieze. The Belgian capitalized on a tense match where both players missed doubles, keeping his cool to secure the win amid raucous support from the crowd.
Afterward, Baetens acknowledged the quality of his opponent, stating, "Bunting is a PDC player, he's a Lakeside World Champion." However, he added with confidence, "I am as well," referencing his own WDF world championship win in 2023. He noted that Bunting missed a couple of doubles, which he took advantage of, saying, "I played a very good game today." The ninth leg proved pivotal, with Baetens holding his nerve to close in on triumph.
With this victory, Baetens advances to face 12th seed Martin Schindler in the last eight on Sunday afternoon. Schindler reached that stage with a 6-3 win over William O'Connor in the second round. Baetens, buoyed by the home crowd and his experience on the European Tour, looks to continue his run, smiling when asked about going further: "That's something for tomorrow. We'll see."
