Michael van Gerwen will begin his defence of the Interwetten Austrian Darts Open against either John Henderson or Dylan Slevin, with the draw and schedule for this weekend’s event now confirmed.
The Steiermarkhalle will play host to the fifth European Tour event of 2023 from April 21-23, with Van Gerwen headlining the list of 48 players battling it out for glory in Graz.
Reigning champion Van Gerwen is eyeing a fifth title on Austrian soil this weekend, and he will take on Scottish veteran Henderson or Irish newcomer Slevin on Saturday evening.
Top seed Luke Humphries will also headline the weekend’s £175,000 event, while World Champion Michael Smith opens his bid for back-to-back European Tour titles following his exploits in Munich.
Friday’s first round – which will be broadcast through PDCTV, Viaplay and DAZN – will feature 16 matches across two sessions, including a clash between Kim Huybrechts and Simon Whitlock.
Austria’s number one Mensur Suljovic will mark his return to home soil against Ricky Evans, while Rowby-John Rodriguez plays Suffolk star Ryan Meikle for a place in round two.
Five-time World Champion Raymond van Barneveld will lock horns with Northern Irish veteran Brendan Dolan, before Masters champion Chris Dobey faces Czech qualifier Vitezslav Sedlak.
Daryl Gurney and Stephen Bunting will collide in an intriguing first-round tussle, with three-time European Tour event winner Ian White set to begin his campaign against Canada’s Matt Campbell.
Elsewhere, Saturday’s Players Championship Nine winner Krzysztof Ratajski meets Dutch youngster Owen Roelofs, while Jelle Klaasen makes his European Tour return against William O’Connor.
The 16-seeded players enter the fray in Saturday’s second round, as Van Gerwen begins his title defence alongside some of the sport’s top names.
Humphries faces a tough opening round assignment against Gurney or Bunting, while Cameron Menzies or Ricardo Pietreczko await world number one Smith in round two.
Second seed Dave Chisnall has been pitted against Latvian debutant Dmitrijs Zukovs or Mickey Mansell, with 2018 champion Jonny Clayton up against either O’Connor or Klaasen.
Austrian trailblazer Suljovic will take on Peter Wright if he overcomes Evans in Friday’s first round, while last year’s runner-up Danny Noppert faces a potential showdown against Dobey.
Fifth seed Dirk van Duijvenbode – a winner of three ProTour titles in 2023 – plays either Meikle or Rodriguez in round one, with Martin Schindler awaiting the winner of Huybrechts against Whitlock.
Ratajski or Roelofs will meet World Youth Champion Josh Rock on Saturday afternoon, while UK Open champion Andrew Gilding kicks off the second round action against Campbell or White.
Fourth seed Damon Heta will face Luke Woodhouse or a Host-Nation Qualifier on Saturday afternoon, before German Darts Grand Prix runner-up Nathan Aspinall prepares for a potential tie against Jeffrey de Zwaan.
Following Saturday’s second round, the last 16 will take place on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
Live coverage of all 2023 European Tour events will be streamed through Viaplay in the UK, the Netherlands, Poland and all Nordic & Baltic countries, and through DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers’ worldwide.
NB: Stephen Bunting has replaced Jim Williams, who has withdrawn for personal reasons.
2023 Interwetten Austrian Darts Open
Tournament Draw Bracket – Second Round Onwards
(1) Luke Humphries v Daryl Gurney/Stephen Bunting
(16) Andrew Gilding v Matt Campbell/Ian White
(8) Nathan Aspinall v Jeffrey De Zwaan/Host Nation Qualifier 2
(9) Danny Noppert v Vitezslav Sedlak/Chris Dobey
(4) Damon Heta v Host Nation Qualifier 1/Luke Woodhouse
(13) Jonny Clayton v William O’Connor/Jelle Klaasen
(5) Dirk van Duijvenbode v Ryan Meikle/Rowby-John Rodriguez
(12) Joe Cullen v Nick Kenny/Madars Razma
(2) Dave Chisnall v Dmitrijs Zukovs/Mickey Mansell
(15) Josh Rock v Owen Roelofs/Krzysztof Ratajski
(7) Michael Smith v Cameron Menzies/Ricardo Pietreczko
(10) Peter Wright v Ricky Evans/Mensur Suljovic
(3) Michael van Gerwen v John Henderson/Dylan Slevin
(14) Martin Schindler v Kim Huybrechts/Simon Whitlock
(6) Rob Cross v Maik Kuivenhoven/Bradley Brooks
(11) Ryan Searle v Brendan Dolan/Raymond van Barneveld
Schedule of Play
Friday April 21
First Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Nick Kenny v Madars Razma
Dmitrijs Zukovs v Mickey Mansell
Owen Roelofs v Krzysztof Ratajski
Cameron Menzies v Ricardo Pietreczko
Host Nation Qualifier 1 v Luke Woodhouse
Maik Kuivenhoven v Bradley Brooks
Jeffrey De Zwaan v Host Nation Qualifier 2
John Henderson v Dylan Slevin
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Matt Campbell v Ian White
William O’Connor v Jelle Klaasen
Kim Huybrechts v Simon Whitlock
Brendan Dolan v Raymond van Barneveld
Ryan Meikle v Rowby-John Rodriguez
Daryl Gurney v Stephen Bunting
Vitezslav Sedlak v Chris Dobey
Ricky Evans v Mensur Suljovic
Saturday April 22
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Andrew Gilding v Campbell/White
Josh Rock v Roelofs/Ratajski
Dave Chisnall v Zukovs/Mansell
Damon Heta v HNQ1/Woodhouse
Rob Cross v Kuivenhoven/Brooks
Joe Cullen v Kenny/Razma
Nathan Aspinall v De Zwaan/HNQ2
Jonny Clayton v O’Connor/Klaasen
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Danny Noppert v Sedlak/Dobey
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Meikle/Rodriguez
Ryan Searle v Dolan/Van Barneveld
Peter Wright v Evans/Suljovic
Luke Humphries v Gurney/Bunting
Michael Smith v Menzies/Pietreczko
Michael van Gerwen v Henderson/Slevin
Martin Schindler v Huybrechts/Whitlock
Sunday April 23
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Third Round
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
Austrian Darts Open Roll of Honour
- 2012 Justin Pipe
- 2013 Michael van Gerwen
- 2014 Vincent van der Voort
- 2016 Phil Taylor
- 2017 Michael van Gerwen
- 2018 Jonny Clayton
- 2019 Michael van Gerwen
- 2022 Michael van Gerwen
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
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