2025 International Darts Open R2 Preview – JP
2025 International Darts Open R2 Preview
Two from four for James last night, hopefully he does even better on Saturday. Check out James Punt’s 2025 International Darts Open R2 evening preview and tips below.
James Wade vs. Cameron Menzies
Menzies was a rare shaft of sunlight yesterday, winning his first round match 6-0. He has won eight of his last ten matches and has picked up a winning habit, even if he isn’t breaking any scoring records. He now plays another master of winning ugly, James Wade.
Wade has won six of his last ten matches and if anything, he is scoring a little better than Menzies, but these two are very nearly mirror images of eachother in terms of form.
Their H2H record is 6-5 to Wade and he won their only match in 2025 10-9 at the UK Open, getting revenge for his 9-10 defeat to Menzies at the 2024 Grand Slam. Five of their eleven matches have required a deciding leg and this has the look of another close match in the making.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.91 with Boylesports
Danny Noppert vs. Karel Sedlacek
Noppert has lost five of his last ten matches and his form is all over the place. He is very difficult to predict right now. Sedlacek ground down Jermaine Wattimena yesterday, winning 6-4 despite being outscored. The Czech player has won six of his last ten matches and he has been playing a lot better than he did yesterday. Maybe getting that first round win will relax him and bring out some better form.
Their H2H record is 3-1 to Noppert, as you would expect. They have met once in 2025 with Noppert winning 6-2 in PC1. Sedlacek missed twelve doubles in that match and he can do better than that.
Noppert is the 1.44 favourite, Sedlacek 2.95. If Noppert has one of his off days, then the 2.95 about Sedlacek is a steal, if he plays nearer his A game then Noppert is the likely winner. I am happy enough to take the chance with Sedlacek.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Karel Sedlacek to win @ 2.95 with livescorebet
Ross Smith vs. Ricardo Pietreczko
Pikachu was the unlikely 6-2 winner over a hugely disappointing Ratajski yesterday. Both averaged in the mis 80s and while that isn’t uncommon with Pietreczko these days, It was out of character for Ratajski. Pietreczko has lost five of his last ten matches and both of his second round Euro Tour matches in 2025.
Ross Smith was on my radar for an outright pick. He has won seven of his last ten matches and his B game is a 93 average. He is hard to beat right now and if Pikachu turns up with one of his sub 90 averages, he is likely to take a beating.
Smith is the 1.36 favourite and I will take him on the handicap.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Ross Smith to win -2.5 legs @ 2.17 with Livescorebet
Damon Heta vs. Mario Vandenbogaerde
Super Mario pulled off a great come from behind win yesterday. He was 1-4 down to Callan Rydz, but found a few gears and won 6-4, ending up with a 98.60 average. He is a good player and not to be taken lightly. His problem is that he has never gone beyond the last 32 stage of the Euro Tour before. He is far from consistent and that explains why.
Heta has won six of his last ten matches but he is not playing with a great deal of consistency. Normally I would have him pencilled in for a quarter final, but he is just putting in too many duff performances.
They have meet four times and Heta has won the lot. He is the 1.33 favourite and he should win, but I can see no value here. No bet.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet
Chris Dobey vs. Wessel Nijman
Nijman was unimpressive in a 6-1 win over Saganski yesterday. He has won six of his last ten matches but is not playing with any consistency and he is hard to predict.
Dobey was lucky to catch Luke Littler on a very rare off night in Berlin, beating him 6-2 despite Dobey only averaging 93.23. Dobey then lost 2-6 to Gerwen Price, meaning that he has lost six of his last ten matches. He isn’t the easiest player to call right now.
Their H2H record is 2-1 to Dobey, including a 6-4 win back in February. All three have been over 9.5 legs. Both players are hard to call and while an over 9.5 leg match makes some appeal, I will leave this alone.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet
Stephen Bunting vs. Darius Labanauskas
Bunting finally got the Premier League Monkey off his back on Thursday, and in some style, ending up by winning the night in what was a bizarre evening of results. Bunting has now won eight of his last ten matches and his form outside of the PL was never his problem, but he will feel like there has been a huge weight lifted from his shoulders. He just needs to back it up with a good run this weekend.
Lucky D did a job on Ryan Searle, averaging 102 and winning 6-2. Searle averaged 100 himself but was never in the match. That was Labanauskas’ highest average for 112 matches, so It would be foolish to think that he will be doing that again today.
He took four legs off Dirk van Duijvenbode in ET1 when averaging 89 and that is more the kind of performance I expect. He has won seven of his last ten matches but some of those were in the Nordic Baltic tour.
Their H2H record is interesting, 3-2 to Lucky D, and it was their last three matches, but the last time they met was in 2022. All of their matches have been close.
Bunting is the 1.33 favourite and Labanauskas 3.75. Maybe Lucky D can make a bit of a match of this.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Labanauskas +2.5 legs to win @ 1.83 with BET365
Dave Chisnall vs. Luke Woodhouse
Chizzy continues to play a lot of inconsistent darts, losing five of his last ten. You are not sure what you are going to get. He has had four 97+ averages in his last ten matches, and four sub 90s.
Woodhouse has also won five of his last ten matches and while he is more consistent than Chisnall, his A game is not as good.
Their H2H record is 6-4 to Chisnall and five of their seven best of eleven leg matches have been over 9.5 legs. However, two players in dodgy form is not ideal. No bet.
2025 International Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet
Dimitri van den Bergh vs. Thibault Tricole
By beating Michael Smith 6-3 in the first round, Tricole became the first Frenchman to win a match on the Euro Tour. It was a good effort by Tricole, and a poor performance from Smith, whose search for his best form continues. Tricole has won just four of his last ten matches and he tends to do his winning against fellow journeymen players.
Van den Bergh is a major winner and all that, but his form of the last year or so is largely that of a journeyman. He can still pull it out on TV, but his win rate in 2025 is just 42% and he has lost seven of his last ten matches and both his Euro Tour matches in 2025.
Van den Bergh is the 1.67 favourite, with Tricole 2.50. Van den Bergh is unbackable at those odds given his form. Will Tricole be able to carry his good form of yesterday into today? If Van den Bergh has one of his increasingly common off days, he may not have to play that well.
