“I held the title of the best match of the tournament for just over 24 hours. Excellent game from both players. It’s great to watch,” Ricky Evans, who eliminated James Wade from the tournament on Monday, wrote on the social network.
Nova Sport’s commentator also gave the same name to the duel between seeded number six Danny Noppert from the Netherlands and domestic debutant at the WC in darts, Justin Hood.
The Englishman took care of one of the other surprises at the tournament and defeated Noppert 3:2 in sets. The winner had to be decided by a sudden death leg, which occurs at 5:5 in the final set.
Both players played a fantastic duel. Noppert was already losing 0:2 in sets, but he was able to return to the match and the final set brought the best darts in the tournament.
Both Noppert and Hood maintained a three-dart average over one hundred points throughout the match (102.27 vs. 103.01). They also had excellent numbers on closing legs, both reached over forty percent.
VIDEO: Final throws in the Noppert – Hood match
In the final with Littler
After the match, Hood did not hide his great enthusiasm for the victory. “It was a great match. I knew it would be like that. He’s a top-class player. I gave him a chance but I won and that’s all that matters,” he said in a post-match interview.
The Englishman exuded self-confidence even at the press conference. After the journalist stated that he showed a great three-dart average, he said that he could win the whole tournament. “I know that I can improve even after today,” he added.
Hood faces world number one Luke Littler in the final. He would like to play a perfect nine-dart leg in it.
The world champion ends
In the second round, the legendary Peter Wright from Scotland is also saying goodbye to the tournament. The two-time world champion finished after a clear 0:3 loss to the German Arno Merko.
“I can’t believe it. I just beat a legend. I’m incredibly happy. It means everything to me,” said Merk.
VIDEO: Cut of the afternoon program of the 13th day of the 2026 World Cup in Darts
However, another two-time world champion – Scotsman Gary Anderson – continues in the tournament. After a great performance, he beat home Connor Scutt 3:1 in sets.
Anderson showed a three-dart average of 105.41, but admitted in an interview that he did not succeed in closing the legs.
In the next round, he will compete against the seeded Dutchman Jermaine Wattimen. He managed to beat Englishman Scott Williams 3:2 in sets in the afternoon program.
