Stadthalle Graz proudly welcomed the Austrian Darts Open through its doors for the very first time as the sixth Euro Tour event of the season got underway.
And it was Ryan Joyce who claimed a little slice of history, becoming the first winner in the tournament’s brand-new home. Relentless got past Gabriel Clemens in a match where neither player truly hit top gear.
With the contest finely poised at 3-3, the Englishman raced clear without further concession. Joyce’s best Euro Tour run this season remains a quarter-final appearance in Belgium, though he will harbour ambitions of improving on that when he faces Mike De Decker next.
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Attention then turned to whether Ricardo Pietreczko had recovered from the injury issues that forced him to concede mid-match at a recent Players Championship event. Drawn against East European qualifier Patrik Kovacs, it could certainly have been a far more difficult opener for Pikachu.
However, unfortunately for the German, the Hungarian prevailed. In truth, it was not one for the archive’s, either quality or pace wise. Kovacs won’t care – he marches on, fully aware that his 81 average is unlikely to overly concern Josh Rock on Saturday evening.
The long wait for a maiden Euro Tour victory continues for James Hurrell, who was edged out in a thriller by Niels Zonneveld. Opportunities will not come much better for Hillbilly, although in his defence, the Dutchman’s magnificent 135 checkout to snatch victory in the decider was the type of finish that is statistically unlikely to be pinned under pressure. Heartbreak for Hurrell, delight for Zonneveld, who now moves on to face last year’s runner-up Ross Smith.
Given the fact Andrew Gilding fired in a colossal 118-plus average at a recent Players Championship event, it felt almost unfathomable to see him register only an 80 here. Fortunately for Goldfinger, his Host Nation Qualifier opponent, Nick Zwittnigg, struggled in the mid-70s. One suspects the former UK Open champion had extra gears available if required. He will almost certainly need them when he faces Jermaine Wattimena in Saturday afternoon’s curtain-raiser.
There were no such problems for William O’Connor who, despite losing his equipment en route, crucially managed to win his opening match relatively comfortably against Anton Ostlund. The guitar-playing Swede performed admirably, but The Magpie had too much quality, even while using Cameron Menzies’ darts rather than his own. The Irishman now simply has to hope his arrows arrive before facing Rob Cross.
With semi-final appearances in each of his last two Euro Tour events, Krzysztof Ratajski arrived in Graz full of confidence. Austrian qualifier Aaron Hardy represented the type of opponent The Polish Eagle would expect to overcome, and so it proved, although he will want to sharpen up on the doubles when he faces Michael van Gerwen on Saturday. The Pole defeated MVG only days ago on a floor event in Hildesheim, but with five of these titles to his name, the Dutchman knows exactly how to get the job done on Austrian soil.
We have seen plenty of derby clashes over the years – though not many Nick related ones. Generally, Friday afternoons on the Euro Tour have not brought the very best out of Niko Springer. However, thanks to three clinical ton-plus checkouts, including a monstrous 167 finish, his B-game proved too strong for Nick Kenny. Victory for Meenzer Bub earns him a showdown with serial title winner Wessel Nijman. Unless Springer dramatically raises his level, Sunday involvement appears unlikely.
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Rounding off the afternoon session was an impressive victory for Kevin Doets, who is still riding the crest of a wave following his maiden Pro Tour title in Hildesheim earlier in the week. Hawkeye stormed into a commanding 5-1 lead against fellow Dutchman Chris Landman and, despite seeing the deficit briefly halved, wrapped up the contest shortly afterwards. His reward? A meeting with Ryan Searle.
2026 PDC AUSTRIAN DARTS OPEN – ET6
Graz, Austria (8-10 May)
ROUND ONE – Friday 8th May (Afternoon Session)
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
Ricardo Pietreczko 4-6 Patrik Kovacs
Niels Zonneveld 6-5 James Hurrell
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Nick Zwittnigg
William O’Connor 6-3 Anton Ostlund
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Aaron Hardy
Niko Springer 6-3 Nick Kenny
Kevin Doets 6-3 Chris Landman
ROUND ONE – Friday 8th May (Evening Session)
Dave Chisnall v Cristo Reyes
Joe Cullen v Rob Owen
Karel Sedlacek v Kim Huybrechts
Peter Wright v Zoran Lerchbacher
Raymond van Barneveld v Alan Soutar
Cameron Menzies v Mensur Suljović
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Madars Razma
Michael Smith v Ian White
ROUND TWO – Saturday 9th May (Afternoon Session)
Jermaine Wattimena v Andrew Gilding
Mike De Decker v Ryan Joyce
Rob Cross v William O’Connor
Ryan Searle v Kevin Doets
Ross Smith v Niels Zonneveld
Damon Heta v Chisnall / Reyes
Luke Woodhouse v Cullen / Owen
Chris Dobey v Sedlacek / Huybrechts
ROUND TWO – Saturday 9th May (Evening Session)
Daryl Gurney v M Smith / White
Josh Rock v Patrik Kovacs
James Wade v Menzies / Suljović
Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski
Danny Noppert v Van Barneveld / Soutar
Gian van Veen v Van Duijvenbode / Razma
Martin Schindler v Wright / Lerchbacher
Wessel Nijman v Niko Springer
—–ENDS—–
Images: PDC
