The European Tour rolled into the Ostermann-Arena on Friday for the tenth stop of the season, and whilst the seeds waited in the wings for round two, it was the qualifiers who took center stage as the adoring Leverkusen crowd watched on.
Karel Sedláček denied Rhys Griffin on his European Tour debut in a repeat of their 2025 match up at The Alexandra Palace. ‘Evil Charlie’ survived four match darts in a last-leg decider before he punished the Welshman, booking his ticket in the second round to face Jonny Clayton.
Rob Owen got the better of Andrew Gilding in a match featuring no less than twelve 180s, with Owen recording eight of them. Owen wired the double for his first televised nine-darter but that didn’t set him off his course from getting the job done in yet another last-leg decider.
But the highlight of the afternoon session was undoubtedly host nation qualifier Jan Schmidt, who bagged his first European Tour win at his second attempt. Schmidt, nicknamed ‘Lightning’, reeled off five legs on the spin to pip an inform Cameron Menzies to the finish line. The German was understandably overcome with emotion following his victory.
Bradley Brooks picked up a much needed win over Lukas Wenig, coming out a 6-2 winner in a match that looked fairly routine for the Englishman. Wins on the European Tour stage have been few and far between for Brooks and he will know he needs to produce more than his 87 average suggested if he is to put up a challenge to the in-form Wessel Nijman in their second round affair.
Into the evening’s ties, Kim Huybrechts raced past debutant Samuel Price who only managed the one leg in defeat. The Belgian bounced back from disappointment this week as he lost out in the race for a place back in the World Matchplay.
Contrasting fortunes, though, for Daryl Gurney who faltered against Maik Kuikenhoven. As Glen Durrant put it, Gurney’s “hangover” continues, but Kuikenhoven finally returns to the winners’ circle on the European Tour after a barren spell.
Max Hopp gave the home crowd even more to shout about, as he came out a 6-3 winner against Rob Cross in an intriguing affair. Hopp finished with a checkout percentage of 60% as he reached tomorrow’s events in style.
Joe Cullen prevented a miraculous comeback from Charlie Manby in a 6-4 win, where all four of Manby’s legs were completed following a 100+ checkout, with the highlight being a 164 finish that wasn’t enough for ‘Champagne’ to progress. Cullen returns tomorrow to face Michael van Gerwen in the second round.
Niko Springer became the latest German player to punch their ticket into the second round as he produced the performance of the day, averaging over 105 in a 6-2 domination of Darius Labanauskas.
Day two brings new prospects as the second round match-ups commence. As the seeds enter the fray, the presence of neither of the two Lukes will offer up hope for someone in the field to pick up a maiden title on Sunday, or even some precious confidence heading to Blackpool.
European Darts Open – Day one results:
Afternoon session:
Ryan Joyce 6-1 Mio Varila
Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Rhys Griffin
Dragutin Horvat 6-2 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Rob Owen 6-5 Andrew Gilding
Jan Schmidt 6-5 Cameron Menzies
Mickey Mansell 6-1 Michal Smejda
Bradley Brooks 6-2 Lukas Wenig
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Jaimy Van de Weerd
Evening session:
Kim Huybrechts 6-1 Samuel Price
Maik Kuikenhoven 6-3 Daryl Gurney
Sebastian Bialecki 6-5 William O’Connor
Max Hopp 6-3 Rob Cross
Joe Cullen 6-4 Charlie Manby
Kevin Doets 6-4 Dominik Gruellich
Niko Springer 6-2 Darius Labanauskas
Niels Zonneveld 6-2 Daniel Klose
Images: Sebastian Doppstadt/PDC Europe
