SUPER SCHINDLER WINS THIRD EURO TOUR TITLE
28/04/2025 By Aaron Nijjar
By Aaron Nijjar
MARTIN SCHINDLER cruised to an 8-4 victory over Ross Smith to claim the Austrian Open crown.
German No. 1 Schindler produced two superb checkouts of 116 and 115 to race into a 7-2 lead in the final.
Former European Champion Smith fired back by winning the next two legs.
But Schindler held his nerve to seal his third European Tour triumph in three different countries.
World No. 18 Schindler revealed he was delighted to win in Graz.
He said: “I’m so happy, I fought my way through today.
“It may not have been great but it was good enough in the end.
“The relief was huge when the match dart went in, when the game is over, only then can you let go of the tension and celebrate, that’s exactly what I knew.
“I didn’t want to celebrate too early either but I won in the end, that’s what counts.”
Smith came through a tense last-leg decider against Peter Wright in the last 16.
The Dover ace then overcame Dirk van Duijvenbode and Ryan Joyce in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
‘Smudger’ heaped praise on Schindler after their bout and admitted he was thrilled to reach the final despite not being at his best.
He said: “Martin played really well and deserves this title. He’s a top professional and a well-deserved winner.
“I’ll take it on the chin, I didn’t play well in the final but I probably rode my luck to get that far.
“It’s good for the rankings and if I reach the final without playing well it means I’m doing something right.”
Image by Taylor Lanning.
