SCHINDLER SHINES IN TITLE DEFENCE AT RIESA
04/04/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
MARTIN SCHINDLER began his International Darts Open title defence in emphatic style on Friday, as Frenchman Thibault Tricole made history on an electric opening day in Riesa.
German number one Schindler roared on by a passionate home crowd at the WT Energiesysteme Arena, cruised to a 6-2 win over Thomas Lovely.
‘The Wall’ averaged 102.68 and fired in five 180s in a commanding performance that underlined his status as a major threat this weekend.
With former World Champion Rob Cross withdrawing from the tournament, Schindler’s path to Finals Day on Sunday is already secure.
But the biggest story of the day belonged to Tricole who became the first French player ever to win a match on the European Tour.
The 35-year-old stunned 2023 World Champion Michael Smith 6-3 in a composed and clinical display.
World No. 65 Tricole averaged a stellar 95.86 and took out a brilliant 104 checkout to go 5-1 up in the match against ‘Bully Boy’.
Former Lakeside runner-up Tricole admitted he would cherish his victory against Smith.
He said: “I have been waiting for this win for a long time.
“To get this victory against Michael Smith – a legend of darts – this is perfect for me, and I will really enjoy this moment.”
Tricole now faces Belgium’s Dimitri Van den Bergh in Saturday’s second round.
Six-time major winner Van Barneveld rolled back the years averaging 103.43 to dispatch German qualifier Patrick Klingelhoefer 6-1.
Barney will now face fifth seed Jonny Clayton in a blockbuster second round clash.
Five-time World champion Van Barneveld heaped praise on Clayton ahead of their bout.
He said: “Jonny is an amazing player and a great guy as well.
“I’m really happy with that performance. I am feeling confident with my set-up, and I’m looking forward to the game tomorrow night.”
It was a strong day for the Netherlands across the board as World Youth Champion Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman each dropped just one leg in dominant 6-1 wins over Paul Goyer and Radek Szaganski respectively.
Dirk van Duijvenbode survived a high-octane test against Niko Springer, edging the German 6-4 with both players averaging over 101.
There was disappointment, though, for Jermaine Wattimena, who surrendered a 3-2 lead as Czech Republic’s Karel Sedlacek reeled off four straight legs to progress.
World Grand Prix Champion Mike De Decker overcame Daniel Klose 6-3 to earn a heavyweight clash against four-time International Darts Open winner Gerwyn Price.
Joe Cullen – also a winner of the International Darts Open back in 2020 – made light work of Rob Owen in a 6-1 rout.
‘The Rockstar’ now faces in-form Nathan Aspinall who is fresh from a title in Göttingen.
Ryan Searle was the biggest name to fall in the afternoon session on Day One with Lithuania’s Darius Labanauskas averaging 102 in a superb 6-3 win over the world number 19.
Elsewhere, Ricardo Pietreczko punished a wayward Krzysztof Ratajski, and Cameron Menzies produced a 6-0 whitewash of Kevin Knopf, finishing with two ton-plus checkouts.
Andrew Gilding looked sharp in a 6-3 win over William O’Connor while European Champion Ritchie Edhouse came through a tight encounter with Czech debutant Petr Krivka.
Saturday April 5
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
James Wade v Cameron Menzies
Danny Noppert v Karel Sedlacek
Ross Smith v Ricardo Pietreczko
Damon Heta v Mario Vandenbogaerde
Chris Dobey v Wessel Nijman
Stephen Bunting v Darius Labanauskas
Dave Chisnall v Luke Woodhouse
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Thibault Tricole
Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price v Mike De Decker
Luke Humphries v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Richard Veenstra v Andrew Gilding
Peter Wright v Ritchie Edhouse
Nathan Aspinall v Joe Cullen
Josh Rock v Gian van Veen
Martin Schindler Bye (Rob Cross withdrew after the event began)
