Austrian Darts Open Schedule - Day One, Afternoon Session

Graz - Premstätten, to be exact - welcomes 48 players, but not the defending champion. Again. Phil Taylor won in 2016, but didn't return in 2017. Michael van Gerwen took up the mantle. But he's absent this year, meaning we'll see a new Austrian Darts Open champion in 2018. Following Max Hopp's stunning success at the German Darts Open, perhaps the race for Austrian glory is wide open.
The afternoon session on day one kicks off at 12pm, and is live on PDC TV. Stepping out in front of the cameras first is Brendan Dolan, who makes his 2018 European Tour bow. Opponent Alan Tabern is already a regular, having featured in the last two events. Following them is the Highlander, John Henderson, who rocks on to the Graz stage looking to seal a second round meeting with Michael Smith. Michael Barnard will want to beat the Scot and earn a match against his namesake.
Van Gerwen may not be present, but Ron Meulenkamp is one of four Dutchmen flying the flag. He meets German ace Gabriel Clemens, who has shown plenty of promise in recent months. Dietmar Burger last featured in the Austrian Darts Open in 2012. It was a different time. Two nine-darters were hit, and Justin Pipe won the tournament. Six years on, the home nation qualifier meets Wayne Jones.
Simeon Heinz and Scott Taylor aren't household names, but the two take centre stage with a match against Gerwyn Price at stake. Tamas Alexits and Jason Cullen, two more debutants, follow them. Darius Labanauskas is a first-timer too, but he is well-known. The Lithuanian is a regular on the BDO circuit. His quest to crack the PDC begins against Ritchie Edhouse. The winner will get to play Mensur Suljovic in front of a partisan crowd, which is quite the double-edged sword. In the final tie of the afternoon, Steve Lennon returns to action. He meets the one member of the Rodriguez family competing on home turf. Roxy-James will be hoping to do Rowby-John and Rusty-Jake proud.

Alan Tabern v Brendan Dolan
John Henderson v Michael Barnard
Ron Meulenkamp v Gabriel Clemens
Wayne Jones v Dietmar Burger
Scott Taylor v Simeon Heinz
Jason Cullen v Tamas Alexits
Ritchie Edhouse v Darius Labanauskas
Steve Lennon v Roxy-James Rodriguez