German Darts Championship 2025 Roundup | Van Duijvenbode hits perfection as Aspinall cruises through on opening night in Hildesheim

The opening round 2025 German Darts Championship closed in a lively fashion in Hildesheim on Friday night, as a packed evening session saw Nathan Aspinall avoid an early scare, Dirk van Duijvenbode hit a nine-darter, and a wave of home favourites delight the crowd at the final European Tour event of the season.

Nathan Aspinall wrapped up the night with a confident 6–3 win over Germany’s Maximilian Czerwinski, producing a 103.4 average and an early statement of intent. The former UK Open champion opened with a showpiece 160 checkout and never really looked in danger from there, firing in four 180s and two ton-plus finishes to ease through.

Czerwinski had his moments – including a 76 finish to stay in touch at 3–2 – but Aspinall’s combination finishing was razor-sharp, sealing the deal with an 85 checkout to book a Saturday meeting with a seeded opponent. It was a professional, polished display from the Stockport man, whose season on the European Tour has built steadily toward this final event.

Earlier in the evening, Dirk van Duijvenbode stole the show with a nine-dart finish in his 6–4 victory over Karel Sedláček. The Dutch powerhouse averaged over 100 and closed out the win with a superb 135 checkout, a fitting end to a match brimming with quality.

Sedláček pushed him all the way, taking advantage of an early wobble to lead 2–0, but Van Duijvenbode’s power scoring and trademark aggression turned the tide. A 141 finish midway through the tie and that perfect leg will go down as one of the highlights of the weekend.

Raymond van Barneveld kept his German crowd favourite status intact with a composed 6–3 victory over Kevin Troppmann. The five-time world champion opened with a 108 checkout and showed flashes of vintage form with 13 scores of 100+ and a tidy 31% doubling rate.

Gabriel Clemens also cruised through, seeing off Croatia’s Tomislav Rosandic 6–2 with a 90.8 average and plenty of control. “The German Giant” will carry the hopes of the home crowd deeper into the weekend alongside Ricardo Pietreczko, who impressed with a 6–3 win over Radek Szaganski, landing a 101 checkout and steady scoring throughout.

Ricky Evans produced one of his best displays of the season to dispatch Joe Cullen 6–2, averaging 93.5 and hitting three 180s in a fast-paced affair. Jermaine Wattimena got the evening underway in style, averaging 105.6 in a dominant 6–2 win against Keane Barry, featuring three ton-plus checkouts including a 121.

Christian Kist continued his recent resurgence by knocking out former major winner Daryl Gurney 6–2, checking out at 60% and sealing victory with a clinical double ten.

All told, it was an opening night full of fireworks – from Van Duijvenbode’s nine-darter to Aspinall’s ruthless efficiency and the German contingent feeding off the Hildesheim crowd. The European Tour curtain may be closing, but the standard on Friday suggested no one’s easing off just yet.