2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Preview – JP
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Preview
We made a superb start yesterday with five winners from six bets including one at 5.50. Check out James Punt’s 2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 preview below.
Wessel Nijman vs. Krzysztof Ratajski
Ratajski has won six of his last ten matches and his 6-3 win over Daniel Klose was not very informative. A 91.77 average was more than enough to win but is unlikely to be enough to bother Nijman. Ratajski is playing OK but not with his usual consistency.
Nijman has also won six of his last ten matches but with the exception of one or two matches, has played at a very high level.
Their H2H record is 2-0 to Nijman, both wide margin wins, 6-2 and most recently 6-1 earlier this month.
Nijman is the 1.50 favourite, Ratajski 2.63. I will go for a handicap bet.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Nijman to win -1.5 legs @ 1.80 generally available
Luke Woodhouse vs. Andrew Gilding
Gilding is in good form, winning seven of his last ten matches, and he kicked of the weekend with a 6-4 win over Jeffrey de Zwaan but it was not a great match. De Zwaan missed 18 doubles and blew his chances. Gilding was just ordinary.
Woodhouse is still buzzing after winning his first PDC title last week. He has won eight of his last ten matches and his last win, to win PC18, was an 8-4 win over Andrew Gilding. I guess he will be happy to see the weird one again.
Overall, their H2H record is 5-5. Woodhouse is the 1.70 favourite, Gilding 2.30. The odds look right to me. No bet.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet
Mike de Decker vs. Jimmy van Schie
Van Schie made his Euro Tour debut yesterday, beating Ian White 6-0. White might as well have stayed at home. He averaged just 78.72 and Van Schie showed no mercy, averaging 96.97 to put his opponent to the sword.
The Dutchman has something of a height advantage. He is about 11 feet tall and has arms like Stretch Armstrong. He doesn’t so much throw his darts, more leans over and sticks them in.
Van Schie has won five of his last ten matches and he hasn’t played with any great consistency. His task is to back his first Euro Tour win with another, and that can prove tricky for the newbies. Luckily, he is facing a player who is struggling for confidence.
Mike de Decker is a shadow of the player who won the 2024 World Grand Prix. He has lost six of his last ten matches and his last six in a row.
The market has De Decker as the 1.73 favourite, Van Schie the 2.15 outsider. I couldn’t back an out of form player at odds on, so Van Schie it is.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point Jimmy van Schie to win @ 2.15 with Boylesports
Daryl Gurney vs. Ricky Evans
Two former stablemates and still good pals off the oche. Evans got a rare win in his match with Teemu Harju. It was an OK performance, nothing more, and he has lost seven of his last ten matches, and on the Euro Tour, he has lost both his second round matches.
Gurney has lost five of his last ten matches and is struggling. He reached the semi-final of ET6 but hasn’t done much of note since.
Their H2H record is 10-5 to Gurney and he has won eight of their last nine.
Two mates, struggling for form, isn’t a great prospect. Gurney is the 1.67 favourite, Evans 2.30 and this is an easy one to skip. No bet.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet
Damon Heta vs. Karel Sedlacek
Evil Charlie is closing in on a place in the Matchplay, and he is as tight as a drum. A win here and he would overtake Damon Heta for the final provisional qualifying place, with only a handful of tournaments left before the 8th July cut off. It is a big match for both players.
Sedlacek kicked off with a very unconvincing 6-5 win over Jason Riedtke. The German qualifier only averaged 77.89 and it was still a struggle. He has won five of his last five matches and he is really feeling the pressure.
Damon Heta is desperately hanging on to his provisional place. He has won six of his last ten matches but is playing pretty well and with a good deal of consistency. He has lost five of his seven second round matches, one of them a 2-6 loss to Sedlacek. That was in early April and the Czech wasn’t feeling quite as tense.
Their H2H record 3-3 but Sedlacek has won their last three and both meetings in 2026. Will that be enough to give him the right mindset to win a big match? Sedlacek has only ever won six second round matches on the Euro Tour, from seventeen played.
Heta is the 1.67 favourite, Sedlacek 2.38. This could be a very nervy affair and is easy to pass on. No bet.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: No Bet
Ryan Searle vs. Dirk van Duijvenbode
Dirk looked a bundle of nerves in his 6-0 win over Paul Krohne. The German was very poor but Dirk made 6-0 look like a slog. Dirk has won six of his last ten matches and despite usually scoring high 90 averages, he makes hard work of his matches.
Searle was runner up last weekend and has won seven of his last ten matches. He is not quite as consistent as Dirk is scoring wise but isn’t far off him.
Their H2H record is 8-4 to Van Duijvenbode, Searle won their last two matches, both last year and both 6-5. Dirk beat Searle in two Players Championship finals in 2023 but they have never met on the Euro Tour. They have played on stage three times, with Dirk winning all three.
Their last four best of eleven leg matches have gone to a deciding leg, and this could be another close one.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.90 with Livescorebet
Dave Chisnall vs. Joe Cullen
Cullen had a perfunctory 6-1 win over Hausotter last night. He has won six of his last ten matches and he is playing OK, but not with much consistency. He has played four second round matches in 2026 and won just one. However, this has to be a good chance to get a second win.
Chisnall has lost six of his last ten matches (lost six of his last seven) and has been hitting a lot of sub-90 averages. On the Euro Tour he has lost all five of his second-round matches.
Their H2H record is 11-10 to Cullen. Chisnall has won six of their last seven matches but they have only met once since Chizzy started to lose his form. Their last five matches have all been one-sided affairs and all under 9.5 legs. Another wouldn’t be a surprise, and probably in Cullen’s favour.
The problem here is that Cullen isn’t quite banker material. He is the 1.62 favourite, Chisnall 2.40. The odds are about right and I will go for an unders bet.
2026 Baltic Sea Darts Open R2 Tip: 1 point under 9.5 legs @ 1.85 with Unibet
Jermaine Wattimena vs. Justin Hood
Happy Feet looked to be on course to set a tournament record high average in his 6-4 win over Max Hopp in round one. It was a very good performance, ending with a 103.38 average, three 180s and 60% on the doubles. Hopp was also good on the doubles and it was a quality match. Hood has won seven of his last ten matches and hit three consecutive ton plus averages.
Wattimena has also won seven of his last ten matches and won five of his seven second round matches. He does his losing in the third round.
Wattimena is the 1.91 favourite and Hood 2.00, but most firms go 1.91 each. We are on Hood outright and that is enough interest in this match for me. No bet.
