Switzerland may be best known for its chocolate, clocks, and neutrality – but over the weekend, it delivered pure tungsten warfare as the WDF brought a feast of silver ranked darting drama to Kloten.
Germany’s Michael Unterbuchner – a man whose name sounds like he’s on Willy Wonka’s payroll – swept up at the Swiss Open, claiming both the Men’s Singles and Pairs titles in emphatic style. The two-time Lakeside World Championship semi-finalist first teamed up with compatriot Tim Scholz to take down the all-German pairing of Robin Beger and Paul Krohne, sealing a 4-1 win in the final.
Buoyed by that success, the Munich man went solo in the singles with eyes firmly fixed on a second trophy – and delivered in style. Unterbuchner fired a monstrous 107.36 average in his quarter-final whitewash of Ross Montgomery before marching all the way to the title. In the final, he overcame promising young compatriot Liam Maendl-Lawrence 5-2 in a high quality encounter to wrap up a dominant start.
In the women’s events, Scotland’s Sophie McKinlay was having a weekend to remember. She claimed the Swiss Open Ladies’ title with a composed 5-2 win over Finland’s Kirsi Viinikainen, both players averaging just either side of the 80 mark in a high-quality encounter. And Sophie wasn’t finished there. Less than 24 hours later, she repeated the trick at the Helvetia Open, once again getting the better of Viinikainen – this time even more emphatically, with a 5-1 victory. The Stirling teenager dropped just two legs all day, showcasing her rising-star credentials in ruthless fashion.
For anyone wondering – Helvetia is an old poetic name for Switzerland, often found on stamps and coins. But for David Pallett, it now represents silverware. The Newport born thrower produced a brilliant campaign to take the Helvetia Open Men’s title, showing glimpses of the form that once carried him to the semi-finals of the PDC UK Open. Pallett dropped just four legs in six rounds en route to the final, where he edged a nervy last-leg decider against Scotland’s Andy Davidson in a dramatic finish to a stellar run.
Elsewhere, Germany’s teenage sensation Benjamin Dopfer continued to turn heads. He stormed to the Swiss Open Youth title with a dazzling display, averaging just under 98 in a dominant win over Dutch prospect Kendji Steinbach. Unfortunately for Dopfer, a second crown eluded him. He was narrowly beaten in the Helvetia Youth semi-final by Italy’s Francesco Basil – but his performances once again underlined why he’s being tipped as one of Germany’s next big stars.
That final spotlight, though, fell on another promising German – 17-year-old Florian Presis – who took full advantage of Dopfer’s exit to claim the Helvetia Youth title, proving there’s plenty of emerging talent ready to fly the German flag for years to come.
All in all, a cracking weekend for German darts – a sprinkle of Scottish sparkle, and one beaming Pallett who’s probably still grinning like he’s found the last Toblerone at duty free.
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
