Ricardo Pietreczko admitted to a tense start to his 2026 European Tour campaign after edging past Ian White 6-5 in a hard-fought first-round match at the German Darts Grand Prix at Zenith Munich on Saturday evening. The German's victory, his first on the European Tour this year, was marred by nerves, particularly in the deciding leg where he overdrew on a shot at single 17 and hit treble 17 instead while on 49 remaining.
In an exclusive interview with DartsNews (YouTube), Pietreczko expressed mixed feelings, saying, "My feelings are a bit mixed, to be honest. Ian White and I know each other very well, so it makes it a bit harder for me to celebrate the win. Also, it wasn't really a good game. But in the end, a win is a win, and we'll see what happens tomorrow." He attributed his uncharacteristic lack of assurance to the pressure of his first European Tour event of the year, noting, "I think it was a mix of things. It's my first European Tour event of the year, and it was also very important for the Order of Merit and qualifying for upcoming events. So it was quite difficult for me to keep everything under control."
Despite the shaky performance, Pietreczko highlighted his recent consistency on the Pro Tour, with two board finals and a last 16 appearance in the last Players Championship block. He stated, "I'd say I've been more consistent again on the floor. If you look at the last two years, it wasn't really that good. In the last Players Championship block, I was a bit inconsistent, but overall it's been relatively steady again. Let's see if I can build on that and keep improving."
The win sets up a second-round clash with Nathan Aspinall, last season's number one on the European Tour Order of Merit. Pietreczko remains confident, saying, "I always want to play, no matter who it's against. Nathan and I have known each other for a while, and we've played each other quite a few times. We'll see—the better player will win." Off the oche, he has switched equipment suppliers to Precise180 this season, adding, "With the guys from Precise and my new prototype—which will be released soon—I feel comfortable. I'm enjoying it and looking forward to continuing to work with them."
