Kevin Doets stars on day one of the European Darts Trophy shattering the record average
Kevin Doets stars on day one of the European Darts Trophy shattering the record average
Kevin Doets produced a sensational performance on the opening day of the European Darts Trophy, registering a career-best average of 117.12 to move into the second round in Göttingen.
Friday marked the start of the second PDC European Tour event of the 2026 season at the Lokhalle, and it was Doets who captured the headlines with a breathtaking display against Finnish debutant Jonas Masalin.
The 27-year-old stormed to a 6–0 whitewash victory, producing the joint fifth-highest average ever recorded on the European Tour stage and the highest average in the history of the European Darts Trophy. Doets was in devastating form throughout the contest, finishing three of his six legs in just four visits to the board to deliver one of the standout performances seen on the European circuit.
“That was good, right?” quipped Doets, who will face Cam Crabtree in round two on Saturday evening.
“I don’t know what happened, I just felt very comfortable!
“I started to feel comfortable when Jonas missed those darts for 1-1, but I don’t expect Cam to miss those chances tomorrow.
“I’m in a really good place right now, I’m very confident, and I think I’m going to win tomorrow as well.”
Another dramatic moment on the opening day came courtesy of Dave Chisnall, who staged an incredible comeback to defeat Jeffrey de Zwaan.
The eight-time European Tour winner appeared on the verge of a heavy defeat after falling 5–0 behind, while averaging under 75. However, Chisnall dug deep and produced a remarkable turnaround, reeling off six consecutive legs to complete a stunning victory. During the comeback he also survived three match darts, eventually sealing the match in extraordinary fashion.
“It was a weird game. I’d rather start the match in pieces than end it,” joked Chisnall, who now faces former European Champion Ross Smith in the next round.
“That last leg was a bit weird, we both didn’t score well. But I took the finish, and I’m happy!
“I’ve got to play a lot better tomorrow than I did tonight. Ross Smith is a great darts player.
“He’s beaten me in seven of the last seven games, but Michael van Gerwen had beaten me 26 out of 26 games and I did get one win eventually!”
Joe Cullen also progressed after defeating European Tour debutant Wojciech Brulinski 6–3. Cullen recovered from an early 2–0 deficit, winning six of the final seven legs to set up a mouth-watering second-round clash with Welsh star Gerwyn Price.
Home favourite Niko Springer delighted the German crowd with a thrilling last-leg victory over compatriot Kai Gotthardt. The Hungarian Darts Trophy champion produced excellent finishing during the match, including 142 and 124 checkouts, before holding his nerve with a decisive 80 finish in the final leg.
Springer will now face Stephen Bunting in round two, while Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski advanced after defeating Ireland’s Shane McGuirk to book a clash with Gian van Veen.
Niels Zonneveld secured his place in the second round with a commanding 6–1 victory over Keane Barry. The result earned him a meeting with three-time European Darts Trophy champion Michael van Gerwen.
Meanwhile, Dirk van Duijvenbode delivered a convincing display to defeat Mario Vandenbogaerde, setting up a second-round encounter with two-time European Champion Rob Cross.
Another dramatic match saw Wessel Nijman overturn a 3–0 deficit to defeat Spain’s Cristo Reyes in a last-leg decider. Despite missing 20 darts at double during the contest, Nijman eventually edged through and will now face former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker.
One of the surprises of the day came when Paul Krohne defeated Cameron Menzies 6–4 to claim his first victory on the European Tour. Krohne’s reward is a second-round tie with World Cup champion Josh Rock.
German fans had more reason to celebrate as Lukas Wenig overcame last year’s runner-up Ryan Joyce to advance, earning a clash with Jermaine Wattimena.
Elsewhere, Luke Woodhouse and Ricky Evans both produced 6–0 whitewash victories over Host Nation Qualifiers Dragutin Horvat and Florian Preis respectively.
Dutchman Richard Veenstra defeated home favourite Florian Hempel 6–3, setting up a meeting with German number one Martin Schindler.
Lithuania’s leading player Darius Labanauskas also advanced after eliminating former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding 6–3.
Meanwhile, three-time European Tour event winner Mensur Suljovic defeated William O’Connor 6–2, earning a second-round meeting with late replacement Karel Sedlacek.
In the final match of the session, Daryl Gurney secured his progress by beating Sebastian Bialecki, setting up a clash with Ryan Searle in the next round.
Round Two of the tournament will take place across Saturday’s afternoon and evening sessions, with Van Gerwen aiming to add to his remarkable European Tour record by pursuing a 39th title on the circuit.
Kevin Doets stars on day one of the European Darts Trophy shattering the record average
2026 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy
Friday March 13
Round One
Afternoon Session
Darius Labanauskas 6-3 Andrew Gilding
Kevin Doets 6-0 Jonas Masalin
Ricky Evans 6-0 Florian Preis
Niels Zonneveld 6-1 Keane Barry
Paul Krohne 6-4 Cameron Menzies
Richard Veenstra 6-3 Florian Hempel
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-4 Shane McGuirk
Lukas Wenig 6-3 Ryan Joyce
Evening Session
Dave Chisnall 6-5 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Luke Woodhouse 6-0 Dragutin Horvat
Daryl Gurney 6-4 Sebastian Bialecki
Joe Cullen 6-3 Wojciech Brulinski
Niko Springer 6-5 Kai Gotthardt
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 William O’Connor
Wessel Nijman 6-5 Cristo Reyes
Saturday March 14
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 GMT)
Jermaine Wattimena v Lukas Wenig
Damon Heta v Darius Labanauskas
Danny Noppert v Ricky Evans
Ross Smith v Dave Chisnall
Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Mike De Decker v Wessel Nijman
Chris Dobey v Luke Woodhouse
Ryan Searle v Daryl Gurney
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 GMT)
Josh Rock v Paul Krohne
Gerwyn Price v Joe Cullen
Martin Schindler v Richard Veenstra
Michael van Gerwen v Niels Zonneveld
Karel Sedlacek v Mensur Suljovic
Gian van Veen v Krzysztof Ratajski
Stephen Bunting v Niko Springer
Cam Crabtree v Kevin Doets
