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Austrian Darts Open 2024 | Day Two Preview and Order of Play

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Austrian Darts Open 2024 | Day Three Preview and Order of Play

Ross Smith denies Raymond van Barneveld in Austrian Open epic as Luke Littler lights up Graz

Jamie Shaw in European Tour 27 Apr 2024

Smith edges out Van Barneveld (Photo by Jan Edegger/PDC Europe)

Ross Smith edged out Raymond van Barneveld in a last-leg thriller at the Austrian Darts Open on Saturday, while Luke Littler lit up Graz with a stunning win over Damon Heta.

Day Two of the season’s fifth European Tour event saw 16 second round ties take place on a marathon day of action at the Steiermarkhalle, with five seeds bowing out.

Smith, runner-up in last weekend’s European Grand Prix, held his nerve to deny Van Barneveld in a decider after surviving a match dart from the five-time World Champion.

Smith averaged 106 and crashed in seven 180s, defying a 104 average from Van Barneveld as he recovered from 5-4 down to snatch victory with successive legs of 11 and 12 darts.

Premier League leader Littler maintained his bid for a second European Tour title of the year with a crushing 6-2 win over Damon Heta with a 106 average and two ton-plus finishes.

“In the first few legs me and Damon weren’t at our best, but I managed to switch on,” reflected Littler.

“I’m really happy with the way I played in those last four legs. When you find it, you just find it, and hopefully I can play like that tomorrow.”

Michael van Gerwen began his bid for a record-extending fifth Austrian Open crown with a 6-1 demolition of Jeffrey de Zwaan, aided by a 102 average and five maximums.

Van Gerwen will renew his rivalry with two-time World Champion Peter Wright in Sunday’s Last 16 after the Scot fended off a late rally from American debutant Danny Lauby to end a run of nine consecutive defeats in all competitions.

Last year’s runner-up Josh Rock hit back from 5-4 down to dump out UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh, surviving three match darts in a dramatic climax to prevail with a 102 average.

Rock will now face Danny Noppert in Round Three after the Dutchman averaged 104 and landed five 180s to advance against his compatriot Wessel Nijman.

Reigning champion Jonny Clayton continued his title defence with a 6-1 thrashing of Chris Dobey, firing in back-to-back 11-darters in the latter stages to punish a disaster on the doubles (1/13) from his opponent.

International Open winner Martin Schindler whitewashed his fellow German Ricardo Pietreczko with a 101.3 average to maintain his magnificent form, having averaged 111 in defeating James Wade on Friday.

Stephen Bunting served up a treat at the Steiermarkhalle, converting a trio of ton-plus finishes – including a brace of 170 checkouts – to edge out Richard Veenstra in a last-leg thriller.

Gian van Veen also prevailed in a gripping decider against Ryan Searle, producing a nerveless 64 finish to seal his progress with a 98 average and five maximums to his name.

Van Veen’s reward is a Last 16 showdown against a resurgent Ritchie Edhouse – who averaged 103 to defeat Dirk van Duijvenbode for a second successive weekend on the European Tour.

Daryl Gurney continued his impressive form with a 6-4 win over Rob Cross, taking out 103 to seal victory with a 100.5 average and six from nine on the doubles.

Top seed Dave Chisnall defied a mid-game rally from Brendan Dolan to prevail 6-4 and set up a meeting with Joe Cullen – who averaged 102 and landed a 170 checkout to see off a spirited Darius Labanauskas 6-3 in a high quality contest.

Krzysztof Ratajski will take on Littler for a place in the quarter-finals, after securing his first European Tour win of 2024 with a convincing 6-2 success over debutant Dom Taylor.

Daniel Klose – a replacement for the injured Gerwyn Price – capitalised on his late call-up to reach round three, defeating former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding by the same scoreline.

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Austrian Darts Open 2024 Day Two Results

Saturday April 27

Second Round

Afternoon Session
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-2 Dom Taylor
Danny Noppert 6-3 Wessel Nijman
Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-6 Ritchie Edhouse
Stephen Bunting 6-5 Richard Veenstra
Ryan Searle 5-6 Gian Van Veen
Joe Cullen 6-3 Darius Labanauskas
Rob Cross 4-6 Daryl Gurney
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Brendan Dolan

Evening Session
Ricardo Pietreczko 0-6 Martin Schindler
Daniel Klose 6-2 Andrew Gilding
Ross Smith 6-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Josh Rock 6-5 Dimitri van den Bergh
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Peter Wright 6-5 Danny Lauby
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Chris Dobey
Damon Heta 2-6 Luke Littler

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Ross Smith denies Raymond van Barneveld in Austrian Open epic as Luke Littler lights up Graz

Austrian Darts Open 2024 Day Two Results

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