Former world champions Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen sneak off the stage in a bad mood. For the world-class players from Wales and the Netherlands, the EM dream in Dortmund ended after the first round. Even the German stars are out despite good performances.
Early end of the European Championship for the two best German darts professionals: As expected, the European Championship in Dortmund is over after round one for Martin Schindler and Gabriel Clemens. Despite a good performance, the 26-year-old Schindler lost 6-1 to the strong world number six Jose de Sousa from Portugal. Later Clemens lost 4:6 against the Welsh top player Jonny Clayton. Schindler, who also failed to make it through the first round in 2017 and 2018, beckons to jump into the top 35 in the world for the first time despite the bankruptcy. The world number 22. Clemens conceded the third defeat at the beginning of his third participation in the European Championship.
Two of the top favorites are surprisingly already out. The ambitious ex-world champion Gerwyn Price from Wales lost 4:6 against the Austrian Rowby John Rodriguez. Immediately afterwards, the four-time title holder Michael van Gerwen from the Netherlands was eliminated by the Englishman Chris Dobey (5:6). Rob Cross, the defending champion, had already failed on Thursday due to his English compatriot James Wade.
Due to Price's bankruptcy, the eagerly awaited duel between the Welshman and world champion Peter Wright, who have been fighting for number one in the world rankings for months, will not take place. If Wright now gets at least into the semi-finals, he will remain the leader in the ranking just under two months before the World Cup in London. "It's good that there is this rivalry and that not one player wins everything in our sport," said Wright, who comfortably won 6-2 against Ryan Meikle.
The major tournament, in which non-European players also take part, is considered a first assessment of where the World Cup will begin in just under two months at London's Alexandra Palace. The prize money for the 14th edition is a total of £500,000 (around EUR 575,000), with the winner receiving £120,000 (around EUR 138,000).
(This article was first published on Saturday, October 29, 2022.)
