Darts stars forfeit Players Championship matches after round one games begin

Darts stars Ricardo Pietreczko and Christian Kist both forfeited their first-round matches at the Players Championship.

German thrower Pietreczko was forced to retire from his match against Jeffrey de Zwaan after just two legs.

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Pietreczko is currently in the midst of a slump in form after posting a string of below-par performances.

He was beaten 6-4 by fellow German Kai Gotthardt on Monday in a match that saw him average just 80.46 points.

However, his attempts put Monday’s disappointment behind him fell flat after just two legs when he handed a walkover.

At the time when Pietreczko handed his opponent a free ride into the second round, he was averaging just 60 points.

The reason for Pietreczko premature end to proceedings is still unknown, however it is understood Pietreczko was suffering with dartitis.

Attemping to overcome dartitis

The issue has plagued the German in the past, particularly at the European Tour event in Munich.

He was seen to be struggling with his release and grip, prompting a change of action to combat the problem.

Pietreczko similarly forfeited a match in 2024 during a European Tour match in Hungary, citing severe wrist pain.

There is little time to regroup for the 31-year-old as he is due to compete in the sixth European Tour event in Austria this weekend.

Then there is the World Cup of Darts on the horizon early next month where he teams up with Martin Schindler.

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Meanwhile, there was a similar fate for Kist who ended his match against Max Hopp after just three legs.

The Dutchman was averaging below 60 points at the time he called it quits with no confirmed reason for his exit.

Kist has opened up on his struggles with gout which may have flared again during his match.

Both Pietreczko and Kist will hope they can overcome their issues in the hope of competing pain free in the near future.

The Players Championship got underway in Hildesheim on Monday with 128 players competing for the £150,000 prize fund.

Tour Card holders were joined by a series of Challenge Tour top-ups with the prize money earned counting towards the PDC Order of Merit, ProTour Order of Merit and Players Championship Order of Merit.

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Three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen is in the mix as is two-time World Champion Gary Anderson.

Elsewhere, Chris Dobey, James Wade, Beau Greaves and Wessel Nijman are also vying for this year’s title.