Stephen Bunting will begin the defence of his International Darts Open title against either Krzysztof Ratajski or Cristo Reyes when the event returns to Riesa from May 22-24.
The tournament will again bring a 48-player field to the floor, with £35,000 on offer to the winner. Friday’s first round will feature 16 matches, and one of the more eye-catching ties pits Niko Springer against Charlie Manby. Rob Cross will meet Dirk van Duijvenbode in another of the matches that stands out on the opening day, while Kim Huybrechts and Daryl Gurney are both trying to keep their push for World Matchplay qualification moving forward.
Kevin Doets starts against Tom Bissell, Andrew Gilding opens with Bradley Brooks, Joe Cullen faces Chris Landman and Dave Chisnall takes on Host Nation qualifier Liam Maendl-Lawrance. Ricardo Pietreczko will play Maik Kuivenhoven, adding a local note to a first round already carrying several familiar names.
The top 16 seeds join the competition on Saturday in the second round. Michael van Gerwen starts against either Madars Razma or Hungarian qualifier György Jehirszki, Gian van Veen meets Connor Scutt or Finn Behrens, and Gerwyn Price opens against Ryan Joyce or Jeffrey Sparidaans as he targets a record-extending fifth International Darts Open crown.
There are more notable paths through the draw. James Wade could meet Chisnall in the second round, Josh Rock waits for either Cameron Menzies or Michael Unterbuchner, and Ryan Searle has been drawn against either Springer or Manby. The winner of Huybrechts against Gurney will go on to face Chris Dobey, while Martin Schindler begins on home soil against either Karel Sedlacek or Johan Engstrom. Mike De Decker will take on either van Duijvenbode or Cross, and Wessel Nijman faces William O’Connor or Paul Krohne.
Bunting’s return as defending champion gives the Riesa event a clear focal point, but the draw also sets up a crowded race for the seeded players who arrive a day later. Van Veen, meanwhile, comes in with a different burden after losing in the second round in each of his last three appearances, a record he will want to end as soon as the tournament begins.
For the field in Riesa, the opening round is about survival as much as momentum. For the seeded names waiting for Saturday, it is about entering at the right time and avoiding an early trap in a tournament that has already thrown up plenty of them on paper.
