Smith came off the back of coming last in the PDC Home Tour II Championship Group but showed some excellent form in Riesa to produce the second highest average in the history of the tournament.
He will now encounter Gerwyn Price in the second round who has won this title for the past two years running. As well as hitting the heights average wise, he also hit 75% on his doubles winning his legs in 14, 13, 11, 12 and 14 in a truly dominant display.
Andy Hamilton also breezed through in his first action since injury curtailed the end of his Autumn Series and PDC Home Tour II. His aim was to return to action in Riesa and he saw off Simeon Heinz 6-2 in his opener.
For Brendan Dolan though, he will be going home after a shock 6-4 defeat to Host Nation Qualifier Franz Roetzsch. The German averaged 93 and hit 50% on his doubles to move through and end 'The History Maker's European Championship hopes.
International Darts Open 2020 schedule
First round
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Scott Marsh (94.22) 5-6 (97.87) Jason Lowe
Benito van de Pas (80.33) 3-6 (79.65) Andreas Harrysson
Simeon Heinz (79.83) 2-6 (83.82) Andy Hamilton
Mario Vandenbogaerde (92.48) 1-6 (112.86) Ross Smith
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.
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