Dirk van Duijvenbode got off to an excellent start at the European Championship. 'Aubergenius', who only last weekend obtained certainty about qualification for this PDC major, defeated top seed Martin Schindler 6-3 in the first round. In the next round, he will face Northern Irishman Daryl Gurney.
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Van Duijvenbode only managed to qualify for this European Championship as the 32nd and last player, but there was no sign of that in his match against Schindler. The 32-year-old Dutchman threw above 100 average and left Schindler without a chance.
"I still felt a little nervous when I was ahead 5-1," Van Duijvenbode said. "Everything I wasn't supposed to think, I thought. But fortunately I regained the focus at the right moment to finish it off after all."
"I have been at a low point for the past year, but for the past three weeks I have been able to practice again for the first time in a year. I think my averages and performance are getting closer to where they used to be, so I'm happy! This gives confidence for the remainder of this tournament and for the tournaments ahead this year."
Dirk van Duijvenbode in action at the European Darts Championships
Number 1
Van Duijvenbode defeated the first set head. "Of course it's nice when you win against the top seed" he said. "Only this doesn't feel like that. When I look at how I felt a year ago, this was a great draw against the rest of the field."
"I'm not normally into heavy words and don't want to sound disrespectful at all. But when you think of a first-seeded player, you normally think of names like Luke Humphries or Michael van Gerwen, certainly not Martin Schindler."
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Van Duijvenbode will take on Daryl Gurney in the second round on Saturday, who was too strong in the first round 6-3 to Gerwyn Price.
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DIRK DISPATCHES SCHINDLER! 🇳🇱
Dirk van Duijvenbode returns to winning ways on the big stage!
The Dutchman produces a terrific performance to defeat German number one and top seed Martin Schindler here in Dortmund!
📺 bit.ly/EC24Live#ECDarts24 | R1