Easter Sunday arrived and the seeds – albeit somewhat depleted from the original sixteen – entered the fray, each harbouring grandiose ambitions of either etching their name onto the German Darts Grand Prix roll of honour or augmenting their existing tally.
Kicking off proceedings in Munich, former European Champion Ross Smith produced a composed and assertive display to neutralise the potential threat posed by qualifier Patrik Kovacs. The Hungarian had enjoyed a monumental and headline-grabbing victory over Joe Cullen in round one but was ultimately unable to navigate past Smudger.Dutch youngster Niels Zonneveld continues to revel in life on the Euro Tour this season, having reached the semi-finals in his previous two outings.
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After dismantling compatriot Jermaine Wattimena with consummate ease, Triple Z now sets his sights on replicating – or indeed surpassing – that level of success this weekend.
Following a career-best campaign, The Machine Gun appears to be misfiring somewhat; while his scoring remained respectable, his doubling was conspicuously deficient, converting just one of ten attempts at the outer ring. Zonneveld now awaits the victor of this evening’s encounter between Josh Rock and Ryan Joyce.
Regular Czech World Cup representative Karel Sedlacek has also commenced 2026 in encouraging fashion, already boasting a semi-final appearance on the Players Championship circuit. Facing Damon Heta, the Australian found himself in a similar predicament to Wattimena, labouring to efficiently close out legs.
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Evil Charlie, by contrast, exhibited clinical precision, converting with far greater regularity and ultimately securing a deserved victory.
The seeds continued to tumble, with Daryl Gurney becoming the third consecutive casualty, edged out in a nerve-shredding last-leg decider by Andrew Gilding.
Maximising his unexpected inclusion via the reserve list, Goldfinger demonstrated admirable resilience, overturning a 4-2 deficit and now earning a third-round clash against either the high-flying Dutch prodigy Gian van Veen or the seasoned Irish campaigner William O’Connor.
Then, in a contest that positively screamed full distance, The Polish Eagle, Krzysztof Ratajski, held his nerve to claim the decisive eleventh leg in a gripping encounter against Ryan Searle.
After the opening four legs all went against the throw, both players subsequently asserted control when holding the advantage of throwing first.
Ultimately, it was the Eastern European who seized the critical moment to secure victory. Ross Smith now awaits Ratajski in what promises to be a compelling affair.
Danny Noppert eventually halted the mini seed exodus, though not without considerable resistance from Ritchie Edhouse, who battled back commendably from a sluggish start to force a decider.
The Freeze surged into an early 3-0 lead, which soon extended to 4-1. Full credit must be afforded to the 2024 European Champion, who dug deep and compelled the Dutchman to see the match out under pressure. Noppert’ s next assignment comes in the form of the dangerous Czech thrower, Karel Sedlacek.
The sequence of 6-5 scorelines then continued into the subsequent encounter, as Dirk van Duijvenbode pinched the crucial deciding leg to edge past Mike De Decker. Speaking of patterns, that now makes four Euro Tour appearances this season for the Belgian number one, with each concluding at the second-round stage.
The Aubergenius had surged into a commanding 4-2 lead, only to witness the former World Grand Prix champion claw his way back before edging ahead to within touching distance of victory.
Demonstrating commendable fortitude, the Dutchman rallied once more, further compounding De Decker’s frustration and securing a clash against either compatriot Kevin Doets or the ever-reliable James Wade.
Then, bringing the curtain down on the afternoon session, a duel steeped in both familiarity and regional rivalry unfolded – a St Helens derby between close friends Michael Smith and Dave Chisnall. Remarkably, it marked a fifth consecutive contest to go the full distance.
For Bully Boy, who ultimately edged proceedings, the manner of victory will matter little. Later this evening, he will discover whether his next opponent will be the only remaining German Darts Grand Prix champion in the field – and indeed the reigning one – Michael van Gerwen or home hope Niko Springer.
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There remain four German representatives in the tournament, all of whom feature in the evening session. For the Kulturhalle Zenith faithful, hopes will be firmly fixed on seeing that quartet progress into Monday afternoon’s action. However, given the calibre of their respective opponents, such an outcome would require something bordering on the extraordinary.
2026 GERMAN DARTS GRAND PRIX (EVENT FOUR)
Munich, Germany (4-6 April)
Sunday Afternoon Session – Round Two
Ross Smith 6-2 Patrick Kovacs
Niels Zonneveld 6-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Karel Sedlacek 6-2 Damon Heta
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Ryan Searle
Danny Noppert 6-5 Ritchie Edhouse
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 Mike De Decker
Michael Smith 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Sunday Evening Session – Round Two
Luke Woodhouse v Kim Huybrechts
Josh Rock v Ryan Joyce
James Wade v Kevin Doets
Jonny Clayton v Marcel Hausotter
Michael van Gerwen v Niko Springer
Nathan Aspinall v Ricardo Pietreczko
Martin Schindler v Brendan Dolan
Gian van Veen v William O’Connor
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC Europe
