“I know that I can do it” – Michael Unterbuchner sends message ahead of Michael van Gerwen clash in Sindelfingen

Michael Unterbuchner produced one of the standout moments of Friday night at the European Darts Grand Prix, edging past William O'Connor 6-5 in a deciding leg to claim just his second career win on the European Tour.

The emotional reaction said everything. Roared on by a packed Sindelfingen crowd, the German celebrated a result that clearly meant more than just progression to the second round.

“I know that I can do it,” Unterbuchner said in conversation with Dartsnews.com afterwards. “I just hadn’t really been able to show it on the European Tour yet. If you look at what I’ve done on the Challenge Tour or as a ProTour substitute, where I reached a quarter-final… but to do that on stage with the crowd, that’s a different feeling. And today I proved that I can do that as well.”

A key part of the victory came early, with Unterbuchner producing a clinical start that gave him immediate confidence. Finishes of 100, 104 and 120 in the opening legs set the tone and helped him settle into the match.

“Should I be honest? Very good,” he said of that start. “When you know that something like that works, you get confidence. It makes it really enjoyable up there as a player. If I think about it, if I had missed that 100 and he takes it out, then you go into it with a negative feeling. And everyone knows what William O’Connor can play – he was putting me under pressure every time.”

Despite his experience, the European Tour stage still presents a unique challenge for Unterbuchner, something he described in typically honest terms. “It’s almost like a tapeworm, to be honest,” he said. “You go up there with mixed feelings because you don’t know what’s going to come out. Of course you always want to show what you can do and you’re up for it, but it can turn very quickly and go completely negative.”

Next up is a second-round meeting with Michael van Gerwen, and Unterbuchner’s reaction made clear just how much he is looking forward to the challenge. “Against who?” he laughed when first asked, before adding: “We’ve played each other before on the ProTour.”

The prospect of facing one of the sport’s biggest names on a big stage is clearly something he relishes. “I want to see how it’s really done. I’m looking forward to it, I’m up for it.”

Away from the stage, Unterbuchner also reflected on a difficult Q-School campaign earlier this year, where he narrowly missed out on a Tour Card. “It was in the head,” he explained. “I became a father and it wasn’t clear when the baby was coming, so my head wasn’t fully on it. Otherwise I would have done it, I’m 100 percent sure.”

His focus now is on maintaining rhythm and continuing to build momentum across the year. “The remaining Challenge Tour weekends for sure, 100 percent. Then a couple of Host Nation Qualifiers, and otherwise I’ll try to play as much steel-tip as possible wherever I can. Just to stay in that rhythm.”