A touch of darting déjà vu permeated the opening day of the European Darts Grand Prix, with the evening session – much like the afternoon’s proceedings – igniting with an unexpected upset.
Twice a Euro Tour finalist, William O’Connor was widely anticipated to dispatch home nation qualifier Michael Unterbuchner with relative comfort. However, performing on familiar German soil, T-Rex defied the odds to secure only his second career victory on this circuit.
The contest extended to a full-distance decider, but the Munich-born thrower, who delivered a commendably composed and assured display, was a thoroughly deserving victor. Awaiting him next is the formidable Dutch juggernaut, Michael van Gerwen.
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Former Masters Champion Joe Cullen also secured a high-profile second-round encounter with a Dutch heavyweight, Gian van Veen, courtesy of a deceptively comfortable scoreline against Maik Kuivenhoven. The contest threatened to become precarious midway through when Kuivenhoven spurned an opportunity to close the gap to 3-2. Rockstar capitalised ruthlessly in that pivotal moment, and from there, navigated proceedings with consummate control to set up a marquee clash with the tournament’s top seed.
Another former tournament champion exited the stage as Peter Wright was dismissed by Jeffrey De Zwaan. With Rob Cross and Ian White having already fallen earlier in the day, and other past winners absent through withdrawal, failure to qualify, or loss of tour card status, the list of previous champions remaining has been significantly diminished.
Only Anderson, Van Gerwen, and Huybrechts remain – and by the close of play, that number could be reduced further. Update: Kim is still in the mix.
Facing Snakebite in the current climate has become something of a lottery. On this occasion, De Zwaan encountered a subdued and off-colour version of the decorated Scotsman. Despite a relatively even contest at the halfway stage, the Black Cobra possessed sufficient composure and precision to secure the victory and earn a meeting with Nathan Aspinall.
Scottish thrower Cameron Menzies produced a truly majestic performance – averaging north of 104 – to extinguish Raymond van Barneveld’s faint aspirations of adding to his solitary Euro Tour title. Prior to this encounter, Menzies had triumphed in all four of their previous meetings, and that dominance has now extended to five. Igniting the afterburners midway through the match, the Ayrshire born arrow-smith surged clear of the Dutch legend and now progresses to face Ross Smith.
It remains a concerning period for Australia’s leading light, Damon Heta, although he will derive considerable relief from battling past Madars Razma to secure progression into Saturday’s action. Remarkably, across ten Players Championship events this season, The Heat has yet to advance beyond the third round – a statistic that jars somewhat given his nine career titles on the floor. In reflection, this was a resilient and professional display against the Latvian.
Despite conceding three breaks of throw, the Perthonian maintained commendable scoring power and doubling efficiency to ultimately prevail. Awaiting him next is Germany’s number one, Martin Schindler who, on home soil, will very much have the crowd in his corner.
The Hurricane, Kim Huybrechts, continues to surge purposefully towards the World Matchplay qualification places, and his latest addition to an increasingly impressive catalogue of Euro Tour victories – this time at the expense of Dirk van Duijvenbode – keeps the Blackpool aspiration very much alive.
Both players produced commendable statistical returns, yet it was the former champion of this event who demonstrated superior clinical precision in the closing exchanges, securing a second-round meeting with James Wade.
Swedish star Oskar Lukasiak finally registered his maiden victory on a Euro Tour stage, edging past two-time PDC major champion Daryl Gurney in a pulsating encounter. Having established a commanding 5-1 lead, the Scandinavian appeared to be cruising towards a resounding triumph before an abrupt and perplexing lapse on the doubles allowed his opponent a route back into contention. Gradually, and without producing anything particularly emphatic, the Northern Ireland World Cup winner clawed his way back to force a deciding leg.
However, with the advantage of throw, Lukasiak composed himself sufficiently to convert his tenth match dart, ensuring it is he who advances to face Danny Noppert in round two. For Gurney, it was an underwhelming and substandard performance – a considerable distance from his usual lofty benchmark, and one he will simply have to take squarely on his Superchin.
Then completing the full complement for Saturday’s fixtures is Niko Springer, who romped to a commanding victory over compatriot Robin Masino. For the young home nation qualifier, this all-German encounter always represented a formidable assignment. Springer, however, scarcely needed to elevate beyond second gear to assert his dominance. That said, when he locks horns with the reigning champion, Gary Anderson in his next outing, it’s very likely he will need to.
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That brings a close to round one. All sixteen incoming seeds entering the fray on Saturday are now fully apprised of the challenges that await. A glance at the fixture list reveals a plethora of tantalising encounters, and for many making their opening appearance in this year’s tournament, it may prove to be a fleeting one.
2026 EUROPEAN DARTS GRAND PRIX (ET5)
Sindelfingen, Germany (17-19 April)
Round One: Friday Afternoon Session
Valters Melderis 6-5 Karel Sedlacek
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Ian White
Keane Barry 6-3 Niels Zonneveld
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Michael Hurtz
Kevin Doets 6-4 Jurjen van der Velde
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Paul Krohne
Mickey Mansell 6-2 Rob Cross
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Petr Krivka
Round One: Friday Evening Session
Michael Unterbuchner 6-5 William O’Connor
Joe Cullen 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Peter Wright
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Damon Heta 6-4 Madars Razma
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Oskar Lukasiak 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Niko Springer 6-1 Robin Masino
Round Two: Saturday Afternoon Session
Mike De Decker v Krzysztof Ratajski
Jermaine Wattimena v Kevin Doets
Ryan Searle v Wessel Nijman
Danny Noppert v Oskar Lukasiak
Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding
Gary Anderson v Niko Springer
Stephen Bunting v Mickey Mansell
Josh Rock v Keane Barry
Round Two: Saturday Evening Session
Ross Smith v Cameron Menzies
Gerwyn Price v Dave Chisnall
Nathan Aspinall v Jeffrey De Zwaan
James Wade v Kim Huybrechts
Gian van Veen v Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen v Michael Unterbuchner
Martin Schindler v Damon Heta
Jonny Clayton v Valters Melderis
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC Europe
