Cameron Menzies delivered a glowing display on the opening day of the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix, whereas three former champions crashed out in Sindelfingen.
The 12 months’s fifth European Tour occasion started with a bumper day of motion on the Glaspalast, as an impressive Menzies powered to a 6-3 win against a spirited Raymond van Barneveld.
The 36-year-old produced an excellent late flurry to substantiate his progress, reeling off legs of 11, 13 and 13 darts to triumph with a 104.5 common and register a fifth straight victory over the Dutch legend.
“I felt tremendous there. I wish I could play like that all the time,” quipped Menzies, who faces former European Champion Ross Smith in spherical two.
“I feel each time I’ve performed Barney I’ve performed out of my pores and skin, so I might not be on his Christmas card listing this 12 months!
“I love and respect Raymond. He was a hero of mine growing up, but that was arguably my best game this year.”
Van Barneveld wasn’t the one former World Champion to bow out in Sindelfingen, as Rob Cross and Peter Wright succumbed to Mickey Mansell and Jeffrey de Zwaan respectively.
Cross – a European Darts Grand Prix champion in 2023 – was overwhelmed 6-2 by a medical Mansell, who averaged 100.32 to arrange a showdown against seventh seed Stephen Bunting.
De Zwaan accounted for 2017 winner Wright in a hard-fought encounter, and the Dutchman’s reward is a gathering with newly-crowned German Darts Grand Prix champion Nathan Aspinall.
2019 champion Ian White also crashed out the Glaspalast, shedding 6-2 to European Darts Trophy champion Wessel Nijman, who’s eyeing a fifth PDC rating title of 2026 this weekend.
However, a resurgent Kim Huybrechts averted the identical destiny as Cross, Wright and White, claiming the scalp of Dirk van Duijvenbode to start his bid for a second European Darts Grand Prix crown.
German star Niko Springer will go head-to-head with defending champion Gary Anderson in certainly one of Saturday’s stand-out fixtures, after opening his marketing campaign with a 6-1 thumping of newcomer Robin Masino.
Michael Unterbuchner also starred on dwelling soil, touchdown a hat-trick of ton-plus checkouts throughout his deciding-leg success against William O’Connor.
Unterbuchner’s second win on the European Tour stage units up a conflict against two-time champion Michael van Gerwen, whereas Joe Cullen will play high seed Gian van Veen following a routine 6-1 win over Maik Kuivenhoven.
Dave Chisnall and Gerwyn Price will lock horns in one other blockbuster tie, after the eight-time European Tour winner closed out a gruelling 6-4 victory against Czechia’s Petr Krivka.
Keane Barry transformed medical 124 and 130 checkouts to seal a 6-3 success against an in-form Niels Zonneveld, which units up an attractive conflict against Premier League star Josh Rock in spherical two.
Kevin Doets – a semi-finalist in Munich earlier this month – will face Jermaine Wattimena in an all-Dutch affair after warding off a valiant fightback from compatriot Jurjen van der Velde.
Damon Heta navigated his approach by a troublesome opening task against Madars Razma, and German primary Martin Schindler now awaits the Australian on Saturday night.
Nevertheless, there was pleasure for Razma’s World Cup associate Valters Melderis, who edged previous Czechia’s primary Karel Sedlacek to develop into the newest Latvian to triumph on the large stage.
Sweden’s Oskar Lukasiak also superior in dramatic trend, relinquishing a 5-1 lead against Daryl Gurney earlier than ultimately sealing the win along with his tenth match dart.
Elsewhere, final 12 months’s runner-up Andrew Gilding and Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski accomplished the spherical two line-up, after defeating Host Nation duo Paul Krohne and Michael Hurtz respectively.
2026 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix: Results and schedule
Friday April 17
Round One
Afternoon Session
Valters Melderis 6-5 Karel Sedlacek
Wessel Nijman 6-2 Ian White
Keane Barry 6-3 Niels Zonneveld
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Michael Hurtz
Kevin Doets 6-4 Jurjen van der Velde
Andrew Gilding 6-3 Paul Krohne
Mickey Mansell 6-2 Rob Cross
Dave Chisnall 6-4 Petr Krivka
Evening Session
Michael Unterbuchner 6-5 William O’Connor
Joe Cullen 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven
Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Peter Wright
Cameron Menzies 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld
Damon Heta 6-4 Madars Razma
Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Oskar Lukasiak 6-5 Daryl Gurney
Niko Springer 6-1 Robin Masino
Saturday April 18
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 native time, 1200 BST)
Mike De Decker v Krzysztof Ratajski
Jermaine Wattimena v Kevin Doets
Ryan Searle v Wessel Nijman
Danny Noppert v Oskar Lukasiak
Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding
Gary Anderson v Niko Springer
Stephen Bunting v Mickey Mansell
Josh Rock v Keane Barry
Evening Session (1900 native time, 1800 BST)
Ross Smith v Cameron Menzies
Gerwyn Price v Dave Chisnall
Nathan Aspinall v Jeffrey de Zwaan
James Wade v Kim Huybrechts
Gian van Veen v Joe Cullen
Michael van Gerwen v Michael Unterbuchner
Martin Schindler v Damon Heta
Jonny Clayton v Valters Melderis
Who will win this 12 months’s Premier League Darts? Luke Humphries can be defending his title and you may watch the motion each single Thursday till May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
