He loves a mind game, doesn’t he?

Callan Rydz was the surprise star of 2025 PDC World Darts Championships. The 26-year-old Englishman, who started the tournament ranked No. 43 in the world, finds himself in the quarterfinals with the two highest averages in the tournament so far. This afternoon, Rydz will face Michael van Gerwen.

Rydz, who was too strong for Robert Owen 4-3 in the previous round, averaged over 105 in two of his four matches at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship. It’s safe to say that the Englishman impressed many fans with his performances, but other professionals also expressed their praise, in particular Peter Wright.

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“I want to play like Callan Rydz” – said “Snakebite” in recent comments to the media, praising the performance of young rivals at the stadium Pally’s ally over the last few weeks. “He just goes out there, has fun and plays some fantastic darts. He should be the favorite in this tournament. He plays great darts and keep up the good work.”

However, Rydz doesn’t seem to be getting much from Wright’s comments, especially considering the two-time world champion’s tendency to make candid comments in the press in order to gain a mental advantage. “He loves mind games, doesn’t he?” Rydz responded in his own post-match press conference following his last 16 win over Robert Owen. “But listen, Peter, play fair to him last night (victory over Luke Humphries, ed.). I watched the match and I think it was absolutely fair play after the year he’s had. I had a bad two years and this tournament was a breath of fresh air for me. He’s a wonderful boy, Peter, I have a lot of time for him.

“Those were nice words, but I don’t think about it. You have to take into account one match at a time,” Rydz sums up, announcing his upcoming quarterfinal. “I will undertake it. I’ll be back on the training board and that’s the most important thing.”