Florian Hempel famously defeated Dimitri van den Bergh at the 2021/22 PDC World Darts Championship in a win that was a potential floodgate opener for his career and German darts. Two years on and it could be again as he has produced an astonishing great escape to defeat 'The Dreammaker' at the Alexandra Palace.
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Hempel came from 2-0 down to stun the 15th seed 3-2, he survived three match darts and now saves his Tour Card in the process after having a dismal time since that famous win barring a resurgence in recent months.
In the opening set, Van den Bergh came from 2-0 down to edge out the opener with a 117 checkout and looked to be going through the motions going 2-0 up despite missing 14 darts at the outer ring in a 3-1 set win. But Hempel who like alluded to had to win to keep his spot in the top 64 showed battle and grit.
He edged a must win third set in the deciding leg to keep his hopes alive and really started firing from there with a spell binding spell including a 151 from 2-0 down in the next set with Van den Bergh missing bull for the match off a 127 and that confidence booster saw him hit a 10-darter to send it all the way before snatching the set.
He steamrolled the final set as a result with back-to-back 10 darters and Hempel's marvellous comeback was set and now the former handball player will return after Christmas knowing his spot on the tour is also safe.
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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HEMPEL COMPLETES THE COMEBACK!
Incredible scenes at Ally Pally as Florian Hempel comes back from 2-0 down to beat Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-2!
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