UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – German debutant Arno Merk said he was “stunned” after defeating two-time champion Peter Wright in straight sets at the PDC World Championship.
Wright, who won at Alexandra Palace in 2020 and 2022, was far below average, comprising below 80 and winning only two legs in Tuesday’s alternate-round hassle.
Merk, who finished with a score of 92.17 and hit nine of his 19 double attempts, took full advantage of the Scot, 55, who only landed two of his fifteen brickbats at doubles.
“I’m stunned, I can’t believe it,”
Merk said on stage to Sky Sports after his win.
“I just beat a legend and I’m so happy.”
In round three, Merk might take on Dutchman Michael van Gerwen, another former world champion.
Later on Tuesday, Van Gerwen will take on William O’Connor from the Republic of Ireland.
“If I play like this, I can be dangerous for anybody,”
added 33-year-old Merk.
In the first session of the day, his triumph was the only match that did not require a decisive set.
The 22nd seed, Daryl Gurney, lost a tough match to Callan Rydz of England.
Rydz, ranked 42nd in the world, who scored two 167 checkouts during the game, may next face Josh Rock, ranked 11th, who helped Gurney lead Northern Ireland to the World Cup in June.
While Dutch 19th seed Jermaine Wattimena defeated Englishman Scott Williams, Ryan Meikle of England crushed Jonny Tata of New Zealand after falling before by two sets.
Tuesday will mark the conclusion of the alternate round, with four further games listed to begin at 19:00 GMT.
Round three of the competition is set to begin on Saturday, December 27, following a three-day Christmas break.
The format for third-round ties will be longer than that of the first two rounds, with matches being decided by the stylish of seven sets rather than the best of five.
Has Arno Merk beaten other top seeded players before?
Arno Merk hadn’t beaten other top- seeded PDC players previous to his shock 3- 0 palm over Peter Wright at the 2025/26 World Championship.
Merk’s professional triumphs came against lower- ranked opponents like Kevin Troppmann, Yorick Hofkens, and Jarod Becker in the 2025 PDC Europe Super League, plus Kim Huybrechts( unranked in top seeds) in the Worlds first round; his European Tour debut ended beforehand against Luke Littler.
Wright, a two- time world champion andpre-tournament favorite( planted around top 10- 15), pronounced Merk’s first crown among elite seeds, pressing his rapid-fire rise from world No. 163.
