The opening day of the 2026 Nordic Darts Masters delivered a thrilling mix of upsets and dominant performances in Copenhagen. Reigning champion Stephen Bunting was sensationally knocked out by local hopeful Viktor Tingstrom in a nail-biting encounter. While superstars like Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, and Luke Littler cruised to comfortable victories, Gerwyn Price survived a scare, and Luke Humphries set a new tournament average record, setting the stage for an explosive quarter-final lineup on Saturday.
Day 1 Highlights: Upsets and Unstoppable Forces
Reigning Champion Stephen Bunting Stunned!
The biggest shock of the day saw defending champion Stephen ‘The Bullet’ Bunting knocked out by Sweden’s Viktor Tingstrom. Despite a solid performance from Tingstrom, Bunting was largely the architect of his own downfall, notoriously missing 25 crucial darts at a double across the 11-leg match. This stunning victory for Tingstrom sends the reigning champion packing and ignites the tournament with an early upset.
Gerwyn Price Survives a Thrilling Duel
Former World Champion Gerwyn ‘The Iceman’ Price faced a far more challenging path to the quarter-finals. He was embroiled in a captivating contest against Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas. Price took an early lead, but Labanauskas fought back fiercely, leveling the score at 3-3. The match climaxed with both players hitting impressive checkouts:
- Price hit a 156 checkout.
- Labanauskas responded with a 112 finish.
- Price then nailed a 128 combination.
- Labanauskas forced a deciding leg with a desperate 130 finish.
Ultimately, ‘The Iceman’ found just enough in the tank to snatch a 16-dart hold of throw, securing a hard-fought 6-5 victory.
PDC Superstars Dominate the Oche
While some matches were nail-biters, many of the PDC’s biggest names showcased their dominance, with most Nordic & Baltic representatives winning no more than three legs:
- Jonny ‘The Ferret’ Clayton kicked off the event with a flawless 6-0 whitewash against Andreas Harrysson, boasting an impressive 104.86 average and missing only two darts at a double.
- World Number 1 seed Michael van Gerwen, fresh from winning the opening World Series event, made a clear statement. Despite a brief wobble where he needed 12 darts at a double in one leg, ‘Mighty Mike’ ultimately powered through for a 6-2 win over Oskar Lukasiak, including a fine 117 checkout.
- Reigning World Champion Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler had a routine start, demolishing Norway’s Cor Dekker 6-1 in a one-sided affair that was never in doubt.
- James ‘The Machine’ Wade matched Littler’s scoreline, producing an equally dominant 6-1 victory over Madars Razma. Wade was clinical, hitting 67% of his doubles and a 120 checkout in his first World Series appearance since 2022.
- Luke ‘Cool Hand Luke’ Humphries delivered a masterclass, averaging an astounding 109.92 – a new tournament record average – in his 6-3 demolition of Jeffrey de Graaf. His performance included four 180s and a 67% success rate on the outer ring.
- World Number 3 Gian van Veen secured a 6-3 win over Daniel Larsson. However, he will need to sharpen up, having missed 15 darts at a double, if he hopes to challenge the formidable Humphries in the quarter-finals.
Looking Ahead: Saturday’s Quarter-Finals
The stage is set for an electrifying second day of competition at the 2026 Nordic Darts Masters, featuring a stacked lineup of quarter-finals. The action resumes on Saturday, June 6th, promising more drama and high-quality darts:
- Michael van Gerwen vs. Viktor Tingstrom (The giant-killer takes on the top seed!)
- Gerwyn Price vs. Jonny Clayton (A clash of PDC titans!)
- Luke Littler vs. James Wade (Youthful exuberance meets seasoned precision!)
- Gian van Veen vs. Luke Humphries (A battle of rising stars, with Humphries in record-breaking form!)
These best-of-11-legs matches will determine who progresses to the semi-finals, followed by the grand finale where a new Nordic Darts Masters champion will be crowned.
Source: Based on an article from Darts Planet TV.
