Dominant Dirk van Duijvenbode completes 2nd round lineup at European Darts Grand Prix 2025 after dramatic day of fire alarms and thrillers

A dominant performance from Dirk van Duijvenbode had seen the Dutchman complete the second round lineup in Sindelfingen after a dramatic day of action at the European Darts Grand Prix saw everything from fire alarm evacuations to last leg thrillers. The 'Aubergenius' impressively dispatched William O'Connor 6-2 to close the day's play.

With a boosted evening session seeing nine matches because of the aforementioned fire alarm evacuation, the likes of Daniel Klose, Niels Zonneveld, Joe Cullen, Raymond van Barneveld, Mike De Decker and Martin Schindler, it was the performances of Andrew Gilding and Ross Smith that truly stood out.

Gilding survived a late comeback from Gabriel Clemens to book his place in the second round of the Euro Tour event in Sindelfingen with a dramatic 6–5 victory in a Friday night thriller.

Gilding looked in full control as he moved to the brink of victory at 5–3, but a missed dart at bullseye to close out the match opened the door for Clemens. The German Giant battled back superbly to force a deciding leg and even earned a match dart of his own, narrowly missing double top for the win. Gilding capitalised on the reprieve, holding his nerve to pin double eight and seal a hard-fought win in front of a lively crowd.

Smith meanwhile, produced a commanding performance to cruise into the second round of the Euro Tour in Sindelfingen, sweeping past Paul Krohne 6–0.

Smith, who has gone deep on the European Tour already in 2025, was in scintillating form as he averaged 108.65 in a one-sided contest. The Englishman barely gave his opponent a chance, sealing a whitewash victory and laying down an early marker for the weekend.

The 2025 European Darts Grand Prix continues Saturday as all the winners of today return to battle out against the top 16 of the Order of Merit in round two.