Michael van Gerwen narrowly moved through to the second round of the European Darts Championship. Mighty Mike faced a tough opponent in Madars Razma, but won 6-5.
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Van Gerwen dealt a blow to Razma right away in the first leg by hitting 148 and got to 3-1 moments later with a 108 finish. Razma threw an 11-darter to close to 3-2, before Van Gerwen took the lead to 4-2 with a 13-darter.
Razma then made it exciting again. The Latvian held with a 15-darter and then broke the Dutchman with an 11-darter. A 112 finish in the ninth leg gave Razma his first lead of the match.
After a miss by Van Gerwen on double 16, Razma had a first chance at victory in the tenth leg. 'Razmatazz' was allowed to throw one arrow on tops, but missed the double 20 on the wire. Via double 16, 'Mighty Mike' then forced a deciding leg.
Van Gerwen started the final leg insanely with a 180 score, but Razma also scored extremely well and had another chance at victory from 142. Razma found the triple 20 and triple 14, but then missed another matchdart on tops. Van Gerwen had one chance at victory from 68 and struck mercilessly via double 16.
Ricardo Pietreczko will be Van Gerwen's opponent in the second round of the European Darts Championship on Saturday night. 'Pikachu' dumped out defending champion Ross Smith. This eliminated the defending champion for the fifth time in a row in the first round of the next edition.
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Smith, who was fiercely booed by the German crowd, quickly looked at a 3-0 deficit. Smith did not get any chances for a break back, as Pietreczko threw a 13-darter and a 12-darter in his own legs to move to 5-3. In the ninth leg, Smith did get one chance at a break, but his dart on double 6 went awry. Pietreczko then ended the match with a 13-darter.
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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VAN GERWEN WINS A THRILLER! 🇳🇱
WHAT. A. MATCH! 💥
Michael van Gerwen wins an absolute CLASSIC against Madars Razma, surviving two match darts before sealing the deal with a 12-darter in the decider!
Heartbreak for Razma!
#ECDarts | R1
📺 bit.ly/2023ECLive