On Thursday night, Gabriel Clemens lost for the fourth year in a row in the first round of the European Championship. 'The German Giant' went down 6-5 against two-time world champion Peter Wright.
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Nevertheless, halfway through the match it still looked good for Clemens, who had taken a 4-1 lead after five legs. A change in Wright's equipment, however, was the turning point and with an 11-darter in the deciding leg, the Scot took the win.
It was yet another defeat in the first round of a major this season for Clemens. After reaching the semifinals of the World Darts Championship in January, he lost in his first match each time at the Masters, UK Open, World Matchplay, World Series Finals and the World Grand Prix.
''If you have an idea to turn that around, I'd like to take it from you,'' Clemens responded after his loss against Wright when confronted with these numbers. "There are always strong opponents at the majors and I miss a bit of luck in the matches. I don't have much else to complain about.''
Despite the fact that Clemens' appearance at the European Darts Championship had been limited to one match, he had enjoyed the atmosphere in the Westfalenhallen. ''The atmosphere was good, it was a full house and that's always nice here. Dortmund is definitely a good place for us to go."
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
A DAGGER TO THE HEART!
After staring down the barrel of going 5-1 down, Peter Wright produces a monumental comeback to defeat the home crowd favourite Gabriel Clemens in a thrilling deciding leg!
Up next 👉 M. Smith v Van Barneveld
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