Dirk van Duijvenbode is through to the second round at the
World Grand Prix on defeat after seeing off an out of sorts Mensur Suljovic on
his debut.
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Suljovic hit 5/24 throughout the tie and despite Van Duijvenbode
himself only hitting 6/23, he held the edge on the scoring with 10 140’s to 2 from
‘The Gentle’.
To begin the tie, it was an astonishing 16 missed darts from
Suljovic in the opening set as Van Duijvenbode claimed it 3-1 despite an
average of just 70.
Suljovic coasted to the second set without reply as he aimed
to reestablish himself in the tie but Van Duijvenbode led in the decider with a
break of throw. He broke back but a 15 darter with Suljovic well back saw Van
Duijvenbode go one away and he completed the tie from there.
Danny Noppert began the night with a 2-1 sets win over Ryan Searle coming from
a set down to become the first player through to the second round at the World
Grand Prix.
Searle had a superb start to proceedings sweeping the
opening set in consecutive legs to make it 1-0. This included a 112 checkout
for first blood against Noppert who was an outside bet for many going into tonight.
Noppert returned well though coasting to the second set without
reply to make it 1-1 including a 110 checkout to start it off and ask the
question of ‘Heavy Metal’.
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Searle stopped the rot with double 20 to take the first leg
of the deciding set but Noppert produced a 127 checkout to make it 1-1.
Following that, he was suddenly one away with a third 180
and double six to make it 2-1. He concluded it with a 50 checkout which was a
15 darter to make it 3-1 and conclude the tie.
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.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
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