Martin Schindler maintained his magnificent run of form by defeating James Wade in Round One of the 2024 Austrian Darts Open in Graz on Friday.
Schindler, International Darts Open winner a fortnight ago, produced the performance of Friday’s opening round at the Steiermarkhalle, averaging 111.4 to dispatch Wade 6-4.
The 27-year-old landed six 180s and pinned six of his ten attempts at doubles, registering winning legs of 13, 18, 11, 14, 13 and 13 darts to record the highest ever European Tour average by a German player.
Wade averaged 99.8 and converted all four of his attempts at doubles, but he was worn down by a relentless Schindler, who will take on Ricardo Pietreczko in an all-German clash on Saturday.
Chris Dobey also impressed on Day One, confirming a clash with reigning champion Jonny Clayton after averaging 106 to wrap up a 6-2 rout of Graham Hall.
Luke Littler will renew his rivalry with second seed Damon Heta on Saturday evening after putting in a professional performance to see off host nation qualifier Zoran Lerchbacher in his opener.
Less than 24 hours on from his Premier League triumph in Liverpool, teenage sensation Littler safely saw off home favourite Lerchbacher 6-2 to progress to Round Two.
Raymond van Barneveld will meet European Darts Grand Prix runner-up Ross Smith in the Second Round after firing in crucial 136 and 96 finishes in the latter stages of his deciding-leg win over Mike De Decker.
UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh also prevailed in a last-leg shoot-out, landing an inspired 152 checkout to stun Gabriel Clemens and reach round two – where last year’s runner-up Josh Rock awaits.
Gian van Veen thrashed a struggling Jose de Sousa to extend the Portuguese star’s winless run on the big stage, and the young Dutchman will now face Ryan Searle.
Northern Irish duo Brendan Dolan and Daryl Gurney also sealed their spot in Saturday’s second round, closing out hard-fought 6-3 wins over Hannes Schnier and Martin Lukeman respectively.
Richard Veenstra produced a trio of ton-plus checkouts to deny Ricky Evans in a rollercoaster contest, following up 141 and 151 checkouts with a 104 finish in the decider after Evans had squandered three match darts.
Wessel Nijman crashed in six 180s to edge out Croatia’s Romeo Grbavac 6-5 on his first Euro Tour appearance in 2019, while Nijman’s Dutch compatriot Jeffrey de Zwaan averaged 99 to account for Karel Sedlacek 6-3.
Danny Lauby and Dom Taylor both tasted victory on their European Tour debuts, overcoming Ryan Joyce and Christian Goedl respectively.
American star Lauby converted 100, 105 and 121 finishes to create a tussle against two-time World Champion Peter Wright, with Taylor posting a ton-plus average to whitewash Host Nation Qualifier Goedl.
Darius Labanauskas battled his way to a 6-4 win over his Nordic & Baltic counterpart Madars Razma, while Ritchie Edhouse defeated Arron Monk by the same scoreline to continue his eye-catching form and bolster his hopes of World Matchplay qualification.
Andrew Gilding snapped his big stage losing streak with a 6-2 victory against Dominik Haberl, and he will now play Germany’s Daniel Klose – who replaces Gerwyn Price in the tournament after the Welshman withdrew due to a trapped nerve in his back.
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Austrian Darts Open 2024 Day One Results
All times BST (local time +1 hour)
Friday April 26
First Round
Afternoon Session
Wessel Nijman 6-5 Romeo Grbavac
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Karel Sedlacek
Danny Lauby 6-4 Ryan Joyce
Brendan Dolan 6-3 Hannes Schnier
Richard Veenstra 6-5 Ricky Evans
Darius Labanauskas 6-4 Madars Razma
Arron Monk 4-6 Ritchie Edhouse
Dom Taylor 6-0 Christian Gödl
Evening Session
Martin Lukeman 3-6 Daryl Gurney
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Dominik Haberl
Jose de Sousa 1-6 Gian van Veen
Graham Hall 2-6 Chris Dobey
Martin Schindler 6-4 James Wade
Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Mike De Decker
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-5 Gabriel Clemens
Luke Littler 6-2 Zoran Lerchbacher
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