What an opening to the ELTEN Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix. Michael Unterbuchner kicked off the evening at the Glaspalast with his second victory on the Winamax PDC European Tour. Earlier in the afternoon, Valters Melderis took the stage as the 600th player in Tour history and promptly celebrated his first European Tour win.
T-Rex bares his claws
With three consecutive high finishes, Michael Unterbuchner opened the evening session against William O’Connor, immediately electrifying the crowd at the Glaspalast. The match remained tense until the decider, but Unterbuchner kept his nerves and won 6-5. It was his second victory on the European Tour overall. He clinched his first in 2024 in Riesa against Luke Woodhouse. Then as now: a home tournament, a gala performance, a victory.
Latvian becomes 600th player on the European Tour
Not everyone who steps onto the European Tour stage for the first time leaves a mark right away. Valters Melderis did. The Latvian made his debut in the opening match of the afternoon session, becoming the 600th player in the history of this tournament series. Numbers alone rarely tell the best story, but what followed did: Melderis defeated Karel Sedlacek 6-5 in the decider and advanced to the second round.
Countryman Madars Razma almost wrote an even more significant historical chapter. Had he also advanced, it would have been the first time two Latvians reached the second round of a European Tour event simultaneously. However, Razma lost to Damon Heta with 4-6.
Homecomers and comeback players
Two players celebrated their return to the European Tour stage in Sindelfingen. Michael Hurtz was back on the big stage after a seven-year break, having qualified via the Host Nation Qualifier. Against Krzysztof Ratajski, the 46-year-old stood no chance in a 3-6 defeat. Jurjen van der Velde also played on the Tour again after a three-year absence. It was also not enough against Kevin Doets (4-6).
Nijman back on track
Wessel Nijman’s successful week continues its logical progression at the Glaspalast. Following his Players Championship title on Tuesday, the Dutchman won on the European Tour for the first time since his triumph at the European Darts Trophy in Göttingen. At the end of the match against Ian White, a clear 6-2 was displayed on the scoreboard.
The best average of the day was recorded by Cameron Menzies. With 104.50 points, the Scot gave Raymond van Barneveld no chance in a 6-3 victory. This also marked Menzies’ fifth consecutive win against the five-time World Champion.
Another surprise was delivered by Oskar Lukasiak: The Nordic & Baltic Qualifier knocked Daryl Gurney out of the tournament with a 6-5 win after missing nine match darts, celebrating his first victory on the European Tour.
To conclude the day, Niko Springer secured a sovereign 6-1 victory in the all-German duel against debutant Robin Masino. With Paul Krohne, another Host Nation Qualifier failed early: the man from Münster lost to Andrew Gilding with 3-6.
All results from Friday
Karel Sedlacek 5:6 Valters Melderis
Wessel Nijman 6:2 Ian White
Niels Zonneveld 3:6 Keane Barry
Krzysztof Ratajski 6:3 Michael Hurtz
Kevin Doets 6:4 Jurjen van der Velde
Andrew Gilding 6:3 Paul Krohne
Rob Cross 2:6 Mickey Mansell
Dave Chisnall 6:4 Petr Krivka
William O’Connor 5:6 Michael Unterbuchner
Joe Cullen 6:1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Peter Wright 3:6 Jeffrey De Zwaan
Cameron Menzies 6:3 Raymond van Barneveld
Damon Heta 6:4 Madars Razma
Dirk van Duijvenbode 3:6 Kim Huybrechts
Daryl Gurney 5:6 Oskar Lukasiak
Niko Springer 6:1 Robin Masino
Outlook for Saturday
On Saturday, the ELTEN Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix heads into the second round, bringing the big names with it. The top 16 seeds enter the tournament and face the winners from Friday. Tickets for the second day of the tournament are available via the official PDC Europe ticket website.
