Home hero Mensur Suljovic shines alongside Peter Wright in Graz on day one of the Austrian Darts Open

Mensur Suljovic continued his resurgence in front of a passionate home crowd on Friday, producing a clinical display to defeat Cameron Menzies on the opening day of the Elten Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open.

The Austrian favourite converted 75% of his darts at double in a commanding 6-2 victory in Graz, delighting the local fans and setting up a second-round clash with third seed James Wade.

Suljovic arrived in Austria full of confidence after reaching a semi-final and quarter-final during this week’s Players Championship double-header in Hildesheim, and he carried that form onto the European Tour stage.

“That was absolutely brilliant,” said Suljovic.

“I love this crowd. This is my family! Thank you!”

While Menzies exited early, fellow Scots Peter Wright and Alan Soutar both advanced comfortably with emphatic 6-2 wins.

Wright swept aside Austrian veteran Zoran Lerchbacher to secure his first European Tour victory of 2026 and book a showdown against reigning champion Martin Schindler.

Soutar also impressed, punishing a below-par Raymond van Barneveld performance to return to winning ways on the European Tour stage, with Danny Noppert now awaiting the Scot.

The Dutch contingent endured mixed fortunes in Graz. Dirk van Duijvenbode averaged over 100 but still crashed out in a 6-4 defeat to Latvian number one Madars Razma, who now faces top seed Gian van Veen.

Niels Zonneveld edged past James Hurrell in a deciding leg thanks to a brilliant 135 checkout and will now meet last year’s runner-up Ross Smith.

Fresh from claiming his maiden PDC ranking title earlier this week, Kevin Doets continued his fine form with a 6-3 victory over fellow Dutchman Chris Landman, averaging 99 in the process.

Former European Tour winner Ian White also produced an eye-catching display to defeat Michael Smith 6-4, setting up a clash against Daryl Gurney for a place in the last 16.

Elsewhere, Dave Chisnall became another high-profile casualty after struggling on the doubles in a 6-3 defeat to Spain’s Cristo Reyes.

Rob Owen survived a spirited Joe Cullen comeback to win a deciding-leg thriller, while Niko Springer thrilled the crowd with three ton-plus finishes – including a stunning 167 checkout – in his 6-3 win over Nick Kenny.

Springer’s reward is a blockbuster second-round meeting with in-form Dutchman Wessel Nijman.

However, there was disappointment for German duo Gabriel Clemens and Ricardo Pietreczko, who suffered opening-round exits against Ryan Joyce and Patrik Kovacs respectively.

Kim Huybrechts boosted his hopes of qualifying for the World Matchplay with a 6-3 victory over Karel Sedlacek, setting up a tie against Chris Dobey, while William O’Connor defeated Anton Ostlund by the same scoreline to book a meeting with Rob Cross.

Andrew Gilding and Krzysztof Ratajski also progressed, with the Polish number one now set to take on Michael van Gerwen in one of Saturday’s standout clashes.

The Austrian Darts Open continues on Saturday afternoon as the tournament’s 16 seeded players enter the competition in Graz.

Home hero Mensur Suljovic shines alongside Peter Wright in Graz on day one of the Austrian Darts Open

2026 Elten Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open

Friday May 8

Round One

Afternoon Session

Ryan Joyce 6-3 Gabriel Clemens

Patrik Kovacs 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko

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

Evening Session

Cristo Reyes 6-3 Dave Chisnall

Rob Owen 6-5 Joe Cullen

Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Karel Sedlacek

Peter Wright 6-2 Zoran Lerchbacher

Alan Soutar 6-2 Raymond van Barneveld

Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Cameron Menzies

Madars Razma 6-4 Dirk van Duijvenbode

Ian White 6-4 Michael Smith

Saturday May 9

Round Two

Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)

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 Cristo Reyes

Luke Woodhouse v Rob Owen

Chris Dobey v Kim Huybrechts

Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)

Daryl Gurney v Ian White

Josh Rock v Patrik Kovacs

James Wade v Mensur Suljovic

Michael van Gerwen v Krzysztof Ratajski

Danny Noppert v Alan Soutar

Gian van Veen v Madars Razma

Martin Schindler v Peter Wright

Wessel Nijman v Niko Springer