Dimitri Van den Bergh advanced to the last sixteen of the
European Darts Open with a victory over James Wade. With an average of 104 and a doubles percentage of 75%, the final score was 6-2.
In the post-match interview, Van den Bergh expressed pride in his performance. "It may be that there are people who have no idea what James Wade has meant to the sport of darts. There are only three players who have won 10 or more majors: James Wade, Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor. I knew immediately I was in a tough match. I'm very proud of myself.''
The Belgian could count on a lot of support from the crowd during the match. ''I heard them chanting my name every time, thanks for that! It gave a great feeling.'' The support Van den Bergh received in Leverkusen was partly due to the fact that it was a kind of "home game" for the Belgian. He has had ties with this city since his early childhood.
"I am one of the few who can say: I am not from Germany and yet I am a German 'master'. This is because for two years I was together with a girl from North Rhine-Westphalia (the region where Leverkusen is located, ed.),'' Van den Bergh explained.
Van den Bergh faces Michael van Gerwen in the last sixteen. The record is not good for 'The Dreammaker'. Of the previous 17 encounters, 15 were won by Van Gerwen. Once it was a draw in Premier League Darts, while the Belgian only won one encounter.
But those figures don't give Van den Bergh the nerves. "Nathan Aspinall and I recently played each other in the Premier League and Nathan knew that in our last 10 matches he was not able to beat me."
Nathan Aspinall, however, won his last match against Van den Bergh during the most recent night of the Premier League Darts. "I'm in the same situation. I will go all out to win. I will give everything, I believe in myself, I am playing really well. So stay relaxed, stay focused and just play my game. I know I can do it," he concluded.