The seeds tumble on day two at the European Darts Open as Smith’s Matchplay hopes hang by a thread
The seeds tumble on day two at the European Darts Open as Smith’s Matchplay hopes hang by a thread
On Day Two of the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Open, Andreas Harrysson put on an incredible show to defeat Michael Smith and make his own piece of history.
After defeating the legendary Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld in the first round, Harrysson defeated Smith, another world champion, 6-1, average precisely 106.
The mysterious Swede advanced to the round of 16 of a European Tour event for the first time after converting 126 and 101 checkouts in consecutive legs and firing in a pair of 11-darters.
“What just happened?” reflected a shell-shocked Harrysson, who will feature in next weekend’s Nordic Darts Masters.
“I’m so pleased with that performance. It’s a dream to play like that on the big stage in front of this fantastic crowd.”
16 second round matches were played in Leverkusen on Saturday. Top seed Stephen Bunting defeated Luke Woodhouse 6-3 by sprinting to the finish.
With an average of over 101 and three consecutive legs in 13, 11, and 14 darts, Bunting defeated Woodhouse for the eleventh time in a row, setting up an exciting matchup with Daryl Gurney.
Gurney defeated World Youth Champion Gian van Veen with one of his best performances on the European Tour, converting all six of his doubles attempts and averaging 107.2.
In a fast-paced match, Jonny Clayton defeated Jermaine Wattimena 6-4 to start his quest for back-to-back European Tour titles. The two players each smashed in seven 180s.
Clayton’s prize is a matchup with World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker, who defeated Ryan Joyce with an average of 101, while Ritchie Edhouse defeated Danny Noppert 6-2 with an average of over 102.
In his last-16 matchup, the European Champion will face Cameron Menzies, who pulled off a stunning comeback to defeat reigning champion Dave Chisnall in a final.
Peter Wright began his pursuit of a third European Darts Open title with a triumph of his own, overcoming deficits of 3-0 and 5-3 before surviving match darts to exact revenge on Darryl Pilgrim.
In Leverkusen, Gary Anderson lost 6-4 to an unbeaten Wessel Nijman, who now faces Wright for a spot in the round of eight, after failing to complete the Scottish clean sweep.
In a match between Germany’s top two players, Ricardo Pietreczko defeated his World Cup partner Martin Schindler, advancing him in the fight to qualify for the World Matchplay.
Nathan Aspinall had a successful return to play after losing in the semi-final of Thursday’s Premier League Play-Offs, fighting his way through a taxing match against Bradley Brooks.
Damon Heta missed double 12 for a nine-darter in the third leg of the match, but he came agonisingly close to perfection during his 6-2 thumping of Mickey Mansell.
After falling behind 4-1 and surviving several match darts in the final, Chris Dobey celebrated his 35th birthday by defeating local favourite Niko Springer in the last leg.
Dobey will face Andrew Gilding for a place in the quarter-finals, after the former UK Open champion also won through a last-leg shoot-out against Ryan Searle.
Elsewhere, James Wade raced through to the last 16 with a whitewash win over Lukas Wenig, and he will now go head-to-head with Matt Campbell, who eased past a below-par Ross Smith 6-2 in Saturday’s opener.
The seeds tumble on day two at the European Darts Open as Smith’s Matchplay hopes hang by a thread
European Darts Open
Saturday May 31
Second Round
Afternoon Session
Matt Campbell 6-2 Ross Smith
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Ryan Searle
Damon Heta 6-2 Mickey Mansell
Ritchie Edhouse 6-2 Danny Noppert
Cameron Menzies 6-5 Dave Chisnall
Wessel Nijman 6-4 Gary Anderson
Mike De Decker 6-3 Ryan Joyce
Daryl Gurney 6-2 Gian van Veen
Evening Session
Chris Dobey 6-5 Niko Springer
James Wade 6-0 Lukas Wenig
Peter Wright 6-5 Darryl Pilgrim
Jonny Clayton 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Andreas Harrysson 6-1 Michael Smith
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Bradley Brooks
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-4 Martin Schindler
Stephen Bunting 6-3 Luke Woodhouse
Sunday June 1
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Third Round
James Wade v Matt Campbell
Damon Heta v Andreas Harrysson
Cameron Menzies v Ritchie Edhouse
Jonny Clayton v Mike De Decker
Nathan Aspinall v Ricardo Pietreczko
Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding
Peter Wright v Wessel Nijman
Stephen Bunting v Daryl Gurney
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
