The Winamax European Tour is back in Riesa – and what a return it was: Stephen Bunting is crowned the ELTEN Safety Shoes International Darts Open Champion in the WT Arena.
With this win, the Englishman claims his first European Tour title, following his Premier League victory in Berlin and secures another win on German soil. Claiming this victory also marks the first time in his career that Stephen Bunting tops the Pro Tour Order of Merit.
“It feels incredible. I’m so happy to have won. Standing on these stages week after week, playing in front of the best fans in the sport against the best players in the world, is absolutely fantastic, and I thank everyone who was here today,” said an overjoyed Bunting after his win.
On his way to the final, “The Bullet” defeated Darius Labanauskas (6–3), Cameron Menzies (6–4), Karel Sedlacek (6–2), and Luke Humphries (7–6). Bunting scored three averages over 100 points during the tournament. He capped off the weekend by defeating Nathan Aspinall 8–5 in the final match. Despite the loss, Aspinall was gracious in defeat:
“I’ll be honest, I’m absolutely exhausted and just ran out of steam in the final. Two weeks ago, I had reached only one final in ten years on the European Tour – and now I’ve made two in two weeks. The fans were incredible. Thanks for that, and huge congratulations to Stephen Bunting.”
With 5,000 spectators on Saturday evening and 8,300 across the whole day, the event set the tone for a phenomenal atmosphere and two new European Tour records in Riesa.
Thibault Tricole became the first Frenchman to win a match on the European Tour, defeating Michael Smith 6–3 in the first round. In the second round, he lost to Dimitri Van den Bergh, who ended an eight match losing streak on the European Tour with that win. German titleholder Martin Schindler reached the semifinals but lost to finalist Nathan Aspinall.
A weekend full of records and unforgettable darts moments has earned its place in the history books of the European Tour. The tour continues over Easter weekend (April 19–21) with the legendary Elten Safety Shoes German Darts Grand Prix in Munich.
