Two of the top names involved in the reckoning got underway in their quest for the International Darts Open in Riesa with Michael van Gerwen surviving a scare against Keane Barry to begin his campaign.
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Van Gerwen just had enough surviving a tough test from the young Irishman winning through 6-4 with a 102 average, 50% on the doubles and a high checkout of 160 en route.
Barry began the better of the two going 3-2 up as a shock potentially looked on the cards hitting a 112 checkout but he missed the bull for a 127 which was the turning point as Van Gerwen replied with a 160 checkout to make it 3-3.
From there, he hit a 110 checkout to go 4-3 up and at 5-4, Barry missed two darts to keep the tie alive and Van Gerwen hit double five last dart in hand to move through and not allow 'Dynamite' to send it to all the way.
While Joe Cullen also found his way into the second round after a 6-1 rout against an out of sorts Madars Razma who couldn't replicate his brilliance of the opening day.
The defending champion from 2020 produced a 96 average, two 180's and a high checkout of 125 despite only 6/22 on the doubles as 'The Rockstar' wasn't up to his recent standard but didn't need to be against only an 81 average from Razma.
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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𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗘𝗙 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗠𝘃𝗚!
Michael van Gerwen had to work incredibly hard for that win, being pushed all the way to a 6-4 victory over Keane Barry!
𝙐𝙥 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 👉 Gerwyn Price v Ritchie Edhouse
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