After reaching the last 32 at the previous World Championships, Jeffrey de Graaf is on a perfect streak once again in 2025 PDC World Darts Championships. After winning 4:1 Paolo Nebridaqualified for the final sixteen Alexandra Palace on Sunday. A milestone for the Swedish Dutchman, who has never made it this far in the PDC main rankings before.
In the previous round, De Graaf surprised with a 3-0 victory over Gary Anderson. However, against Nebrida, De Graaf initially struggled to cope with the Filipino’s slow pace. “I had big problems in the first set, which was very difficult. I had more nerves than I thought. It was a fight. He wasn’t that fast and I didn’t get into my rhythm. The doubles game wasn’t very successful and it went well, so it was a fight,” De Graaf said in his first post-match reaction to Dutch broadcaster Viaplay.
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De Graaf lost the first set, but then managed to tidy things up. In doubles, he did better and gained more distance from his Filipino opponent. “I won the second set and that’s when I gained more confidence,” agreed De Graaf. “I got into a rhythm and I’m glad I finally managed to break it.”
De Graaf will face the three-time world champion in the last sixteen Michael van Gerwen. “He’s not in the best form, but he’s still Michael,” De Graaf announced at the post-match press conference. “He is still a difficult customer. If I play my best game, maybe I can compete. But if it reaches the top, I’ll have a problem.”
According to De Graaf, his success at the World Darts Championships also caused confusion in Sweden, where he has lived since 2018. “It’s not a big deal in Sweden, but after my first matches I made it to the front pages of the sports section. So it’s growing tremendously, which is nice.”
