Martin Schindler (Photo by Jan Thoden/PDC Europe)
Martin Schindler will take on Jonny Clayton on Finals Day at the Swiss Darts Trophy, after opening his title defence with victory over his World Cup partner Ricardo Pietreczko in Basel.
Schindler prevailed in the tournament’s inaugural staging 12 months ago, and he began his bid for back-to-back titles with a 6-2 success, pinning six of his eight attempts at double in the process.
The German number one will now go up against Clayton in round three, after the Welshman averaged almost 106 to complete a 6-4 victory over Nathan Aspinall, aided by a hat-trick of brilliant 11-darters.
The year’s penultimate European Tour event saw six seeds crash out at St. Jakobshalle, as the race for World Grand Prix and European Championship qualification continued.
Luke Woodhouse and Jermaine Wattimena were stand-out performers, and they will lock horns for a place in the quarter-finals.
Woodhouse produced a career-best performance to extend Dave Chisnall’s losing run on the European Tour, averaging 110.69 and converting 121 and 160 checkouts to celebrate an imperious 6-2 win.
Wattimena then delivered a masterclass of his own, averaging 107.35 in his 6-1 demolition of Josh Rock – a European Tour runner-up in Antwerp and Prague over recent weeks.
Chisnall’s defeat leaves his hopes of World Grand Prix qualification hanging in the balance, with Krzysztof Ratajski now assured of his spot in next week’s double-start event.
Ratajski emerged victorious in a compelling deciding-leg clash against World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker, surviving three match darts in the penultimate leg.
The Pole’s reward is a round three clash against Stephen Bunting, who produced a blistering late burst to account for Chris Landman, registering legs of 13, 11 and 11 darts to wrap up a 6-3 win.
World number one Luke Humphries impressed in his 6-2 victory over Callan Rydz, pinning six of his seven attempts at double to move through to a meeting with Ryan Searle.
Humphries produced a trio of ton-plus checkouts during an eye-catching display, following up 117 and 108 combinations with a match-winning 136 outshot.
Searle, meanwhile, won through a high-quality encounter against Niels Zonneveld, conjuring up 114 and 136 finishes to advance with a 101 average to the Dutchman’s 102.
Danny Noppert also delivered on Swiss soil, averaging 104 to squeeze past William O’Connor and end the Irishman’s World Grand Prix dreams in the process.
Noppert – the runner-up at last weekend’s Hungarian Darts Trophy – now faces Rob Cross, who powered past Richard Veenstra to boost his own hopes of European Championship qualification.
Raymond van Barneveld preserved his hopes of securing a World Grand Prix spot with a dramatic deciding-leg win over Damon Heta, defying a brace of big finishes from the Australian to triumph.
Ritchie Edhouse – who received a Bye following the withdrawal of Ross Smith – awaits Van Barneveld in a pivotal round three tussle.
The Dutch icon will qualify for the World Grand Prix if he progresses, while Edhouse must win to maintain his hopes of defending his European Championship crown in Dortmund.
Gian van Veen and Ryan Joyce will also go head-to-head in round three, after winning through contrasting ties against Dirk van Duijvenbode and James Wade.
Van Veen averaged 102 and landed a 170 finish in his six-leg whitewash of Van Duijvenbode, before Joyce edged out third seed Wade in a gruelling affair.
Elsewhere, Chris Dobey averaged 101 to overcome Austrian icon Mensur Suljovic in Saturday’s finale, with Norway’s Cor Dekker standing between him and a quarter-final berth.
Earlier in the day, Dekker compounded Peter Wright’s big stage woes to advance to Finals Day of a European Tour event for the first time in his career.
RESULTS
Round Two: Ryan Searle 6-3 Niels Zonneveld; Luke Woodhouse 6-2 Dave Chisnall; Cor Dekker 6-3 Peter Wright
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Mike De Decker; Rob Cross 6-2 Richard Veenstra; Gian van Veen 6-0 Dirk van Duijvenbode; Danny Noppert 6-5 William O’Connor; Ritchie Edhouse Bye (Ross Smith withdrawn); Ryan Joyce 6-5 James Wade; Martin Schindler 6-2 Ricardo Pietreczko; Jermaine Wattimena 6-1 Josh Rock; Luke Humphries 6-2 Callan Rydz; Jonny Clayton 6-4 Nathan Aspinall; Raymond van Barneveld 6-5 Damon Heta; Stephen Bunting 6-3 Chris Landman; Chris Dobey 6-4 Mensur Suljovic
