Schnier delights home crowd as Kuivenhoven and Henderson also secure Austrian Darts Open progression

Bringing the Friday afternoon session of the 2023 Austrian Darts Open to a close, the trio of Mike Kuivenhoven, Hannes Scnier and John Henderson all made sure of a return tomorrow courtesy of wins over Bradley Brooks, Jeffrey de Zwaan and Dylan Slevin.

As the Austrian Darts Open and the European Tour continued to roll on it was Mike Kuivenhoven versus Bradley Brooks for a spot in the second round. With Kuivenhoven starting by far the better player, the Dutchman raced into a 4-1 lead. Brooks however wasn't giving up without a fight and levelled up at 5-5. But after Brooks undid all his hard work by missing a match dart, Kuivenhoven punished to secure the win and a Saturday return.

Jeffrey de Zwaan was a big favourite next up taking on crowd favourite Hannes Schnier. The Dutchman managed to silence the partisan Austrian crowd early on, out performing his opponent and gaining a comfortable lead.

After five missed match darts however from de Zwaan, Schnier levelled the tie at 5-5 much to the delight of the crowd in Graz. With three darts in hand at double top, Schnier secured a comeback victory and sent the crowd into raptures by nailing double 10. A second-round tie with Nathan Aspinall awaits tomorrow.

One of the most likeable characters in the darting world, Big John Henderson returned to the European Tour stage against debutant, Dylan Slevin. Starting impressively, Hendo fired in back-to-back maximums to kick things off. Although he couldn't manage the nine, he took the opening leg.

Despite a valiant effort from the southpaw Slevin, Henderson continued the resurgence he has seen since losing his PDC Tour Card on the Challenge Tour winning y six legs to four.