Dave Chisnall has admitted he needs a significant improvement when he faces Wessel Nijman at the Hungarian Darts Trophy on Saturday, after surviving a major scare against home qualifier Andras Borbely in Budapest. Chisnall eventually won 6-3, but found himself 2-0 down with Borbely throwing for a 144 checkout to move three legs clear. The Hungarian missed his opportunity, and Chisnall immediately responded with a 136 finish to drag himself back into a match he admitted could have been slipping away.
“Well, yeah. If I go 3-0 down there, I’m struggling,” Chisnall said afterwards. “I was struggling anyway and he was scoring quite well. He was playing quite well and hitting his doubles straight away. If I go 3-0 down there, I’m out of this game. I came back a little bit, but it’s not good enough. You’re not going to win tournaments playing like that.” Chisnall recovered to take six of the next seven legs, but made no attempt to disguise his frustration. “It was a struggle, but I got through and that’s the main thing.”
Chisnall admitted the Budapest crowd’s backing for Borbely contributed to his discomfort on stage. “Yeah, I’m good at it, but it’s hard. They’re supporting their player,” he said. “Like I said, if he hits that 144, it would have been a lot harder. But luckily for me, I got the 136. I found a little bit of form, but I was just so tense up here. Maybe it’s the crowd as well, but I’m used to that. I’ve been doing it, what, 16 years?” His assessment of what needs to change before round two was straightforward: “I’m just going to get on with it. Tomorrow I’ll have to be better, and I will.”
The incentive for improvement is obvious. Nijman has beaten Chisnall in all four of their previous meetings, leaving the former Hungarian Darts Trophy champion still searching for his first victory over the Dutchman. “Yeah, like you said, he’s beaten me four times, but every day is different,” Chisnall responded when their head-to-head record was put to him. “Tomorrow I can come out and go 180, 180, 140, 140 and beat him. But it’s so hard up here.”
Chisnall has already tasted European Tour success in Budapest, winning the Hungarian Darts Trophy in 2023, but Saturday presents a more immediate target. After escaping Borbely and openly conceding his first-round level will not be enough, he now gets a fifth opportunity to finally beat Nijman and reach the last 16.
