Fireworks on day two of the Austrian Darts Open as Cristo Reyes pins perfection

Cristo Reyes lit up the Austrian Darts Open with a sensational nine-dart finish on a dramatic second day in Graz, while rising German star Niko Springer delivered one of the performances of the tournament to demolish Wessel Nijman.

A packed Saturday at the Stadthalle saw seven seeded players crash out of the competition, but it was Reyes who captured the spotlight after producing perfection in a memorable victory over Australian ace Damon Heta.

The Spaniard has enjoyed an impressive resurgence since regaining his PDC Tour Card earlier this year, and he continued that momentum with another standout display on the European Tour stage. Reyes averaged just shy of 102, landed six maximums and completed a superb 6-4 triumph against the world number eight.

The highlight came in the fourth leg when Reyes produced a flawless nine-dart finish, sending the Austrian crowd into raptures. Despite Heta battling back strongly to apply pressure late in the contest, Reyes held his nerve and sealed victory with a clinical 11-dart leg.

“I feel very happy,” reflected Reyes, who will now take on Dutch fifth seed Danny Noppert in the last 16.

“When I hit the nine-darter I got more nervous, but this is amazing. I want to say thank you to this fantastic crowd.”

While Reyes stole the headlines, Michael van Gerwen underlined his title credentials with an emphatic display during the evening session. The three-time world champion averaged 103.41 and pinned three ton-plus finishes in a commanding 6-3 win over Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski.

Van Gerwen, chasing a fifth Austrian Darts Open title, looked sharp throughout and punished missed opportunities from Ratajski with ruthless efficiency. The Dutchman now faces former world champion Rob Cross in what promises to be one of the standout ties of Finals Day.

Cross booked his place in the last 16 earlier in the afternoon after dispatching William O’Connor by the same 6-3 scoreline.

Van Gerwen’s route to the title appeared to open up further following the shock exit of top seed Gian van Veen. The Dutch youngster was edged out in a deciding-leg thriller by Latvia’s Madars Razma, one of several surprise results across an action-packed day in Graz.

Van Veen was not the only highly-rated Dutch player to bow out. Fellow countryman Wessel Nijman suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Germany’s Niko Springer, who produced a devastating display of scoring power to storm through in style.

Springer, widely regarded as one of the sport’s brightest young prospects, overwhelmed Nijman from the outset and never allowed his opponent to settle, further enhancing his growing reputation on the European Tour circuit.

Elsewhere, James Wade rolled back the years with a clinical performance to end Austrian favourite Mensur Suljovic’s hopes on home soil. Wade averaged 103 and produced three separate 11-dart legs during a dominant 6-2 victory over the Austrian veteran.

The Englishman’s finishing and timing proved too strong for Suljovic, who was unable to produce the consistency required to live with Wade’s relentless scoring.

Reigning champion Martin Schindler also safely progressed after recovering from a slow start against Peter Wright. The German trailed 2-1 early in the contest before rattling off five consecutive legs to complete a convincing 6-2 success.

Schindler fired in six 180s during the match and punished a below-par display from Wright, whose struggles continue despite flashes of brilliance in recent months.

Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts produced one of the most dramatic finishes of the day to stun Chris Dobey in a deciding-leg thriller. After breaking throw with a superb ten-darter to force a final leg, Huybrechts then nailed a stunning 132 checkout on the bullseye to snatch victory from the former Masters champion.

The result continues Huybrechts’ recent resurgence and sets up a clash with Andrew Gilding in Sunday’s last 16.

Gilding secured his place after averaging over 100 in a composed 6-4 win against Jermaine Wattimena, the former European Championship finalist unable to halt the UK Open champion’s momentum.

Ross Smith, runner-up in Graz 12 months ago, also impressed with a high-quality display against Niels Zonneveld. Smith averaged in excess of 102 to seal victory and now faces defending champion Schindler in a repeat of last year’s final.

Luke Woodhouse joined the list of players averaging over a ton after cruising to a dominant 6-1 victory against Rob Owen. Woodhouse’s reward is a meeting with Wade as he looks to continue his impressive run in Austria.

Northern Ireland’s World Cup-winning duo Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney both advanced comfortably with identical 6-3 victories over Patrik Kovacs and Ian White respectively.

Earlier in the afternoon session, Kevin Doets celebrated a breakthrough moment by defeating Ryan Searle for the first time in his career. The Dutchman’s reward is a showdown with Ryan Joyce, who inflicted a sixth straight European Tour defeat on Belgian star Mike De Decker.

Danny Noppert completed the last 16 line-up after surviving three match darts in a tense deciding-leg win over Alan Soutar. The Dutchman later revealed he had been battling illness throughout the weekend, making the victory even more significant.

The Austrian Darts Open resumes on Sunday afternoon with the remaining 16 players competing for quarter-final places, before the tournament reaches its conclusion with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final during an eagerly anticipated evening session in Graz.

Fireworks on day two of the Austrian Darts Open as Cristo Reyes pins perfection 

2026 Austrian Darts Open

Saturday May 9

Round Two

Afternoon Session

Andrew Gilding 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena

Ryan Joyce 6-3 Mike De Decker

Rob Cross 6-3 William O’Connor

Kevin Doets 6-2 Ryan Searle

Ross Smith 6-3 Niels Zonneveld

Cristo Reyes 6-4 Damon Heta (Cristo Reyes hit a nine-darter)

Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Rob Owen

Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Chris Dobey

Evening Session

Daryl Gurney 6-3 Ian White

Josh Rock 6-3 Patrik Kovacs

James Wade 6-2 Mensur Suljovic

Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski

Danny Noppert 6-5 Alan Soutar

Madars Razma 6-5 Gian van Veen

Martin Schindler 6-2 Peter Wright

Niko Springer 6-0 Wessel Nijman

Sunday May 10

Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)

Round Three

Kevin Doets v Ryan Joyce

James Wade v Luke Woodhouse

Kim Huybrechts v Andrew Gilding

Michael van Gerwen v Rob Cross

Danny Noppert v Cristo Reyes

Josh Rock v Niko Springer

Ross Smith v Martin Schindler

Madars Razma v Daryl Gurney

Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)

Quarter-Finals

Semi-Finals

Final

Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order.