Steve Lennon wins opening round and meets Michael van Gerwen in Hildesheim

Steve Lennon will be Michael van Gerwen's opponent on Saturday night at the German Darts Championship in Hildesheim. Lennon dealt with debutant Marcus Kirchmann in the first round on Friday afternoon.

The German managed to qualify for a Euro Tour tournament through the Host Nation Qualifier on Thursday for the first time in his career. Kirchmann actually got a potential opportunity to compete against a great like Van Gerwen, but Lennon put a stop to that.

The Irish darter triumphed 6-3 against Kirchmann. Lennon dominated the German in all important statistics. He recorded an average of 90, compared to 77 for Kirchmann. Lennon's doubles percentage was also much better (37 percent to 17 percent).

Alan Soutar sealed a clash with world champion Michael Smith by beating Karel Sedlacek 6-1. Nico Kurz also reached the second round in Hildesheim. Kurz triumphed 6-2 against Dylan Slevin and will be Jonny Clayton's opponent in the last 32.