"Possibly the best German player ever" - Dirk van Duijvenbode showers praise onto Niko Springer after high-quality Euro Tour battle

Dirk van Duijvenbode made an excellent start at the International Darts Open. 'Aubergenius' defeated the home favorite Niko Springer 6-3 in his opening match in Riesa. After a tough period due to shoulder problems, Van Duijvenbode seems to be gradually returning to his best form and will now face the world number one, Luke Humphries.

The match between Van Duijvenbode and Springer was a thrilling spectacle. Both the Dutchman and the German averaged well over a hundred, delighting the audience in the SACHSENarena with numerous high scores and finishes. In the end, it was Van Duijvenbode who came out on top.

"I knew how good Niko and I knew I had to play my best game," reflected the energetic Dutchman in his post-match interview afterwards. "To be fair, I can't remember being this nervous for a first round European Tour game. Normally I'm very confident. I knew this guy can score so good, so I needed my best scoring to beat him. I've played him on the floor and I had to take out two 126 finishes in a row to even be close to beating him. I'm one of the best scorers in the game, so I'm not frightened very easily, but I know how good he is!"

Van Duijvenbode continued to wave praise at his opponent. "I said to him at the end that he's possibly the best German player ever. He's got great potential because his throw and his scoring is so good. If he can get his mind right, then he's easily top 16. People always say trebles for show, doubles for dough, but if you don't hit trebles, you won't get the chance at a double. So the way he's scoring, if he can start hitting his doubles, he's going to be very dangerous," concluded the Dutchman.