The PDC's Flanders Darts Trophy kicked off in true European Tour fashion — which is to say, a couple of favourites tripped over their own shoelaces while underdogs happily cashed in. The Belgian players rose to the occasion in the main and there was plenty of drama for the opening session. Here’s how the afternoon session unfolded:
Jermaine Wattimena 5–6 Leon Weber
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If you’re one of the punters who stuck Wattimena in your Friday acca, condolences. At 3–0 up, the Machine Gun looked like he’d done enough to cruise through. But Weber clearly isn’t a fan of scripts. Whether or not he’d been inspired by Littler’s World Matchplay recovery against Wattimena, the German pulled off his own comeback special, dragging it to a decider and sealing the deal with darts in hand. His reward? Facing Dave Chisnall, the defending champion.
Dylan Slevin 6–3 Francois Schweyen
At 5–1 up, Slevin nearly managed to throw it away. Schweyen, the Belgian qualifier, battled back to threaten a grandstand finish, but just when the locals were sensing an upset, he fluffed his lines. Slevin advances and now gets the small matter of facing Luke Littler - who, dental surgery or not, is still probably capable of rattling in a 12-darter between sips of lukewarm tea.
Luke Woodhouse 6–1 Johan Engström
Woodhouse turned into a wrecking ball here. Averaging just shy of 103 and finishing at nearly 50%, the Shed absolutely demolished Engström. The Swede, meanwhile, produced numbers best left in the bin. Up next for Woody? Snakebite.
2025 Flanders Darts Trophy | Day One Afternoon Highlights
Lukas Wenig 5–6 Kim Huybrechts
Home hero Huybrechts gave Antwerp plenty to cheer as he pinched a thriller in the decider. The Hurricane now has a wind of home support at his back and a tie against James Wade on his horizon. Wenig fought hard but couldn’t stop Kim nailing D16 in the final leg. Antwerp roared; Germany sulked.
Krzysztof Ratajski 6–3 Steve Lennon
Oh, the irony. Lennon beat Ratajski back in July to qualify for this event, only to draw him here as a reserve entry. Result? The Polish Eagle took revenge, and now flies into round two to face Chris Dobey. Lennon’s next stop is the airport. You might say, an Uber for Scuba.
Cameron Menzies 5–6 Christian Kist
Stop the presses: Christian Kist has finally won a Euro Tour match after eight long years. For a while, it looked like Cammie would keep the drought alive, clawing back from 1–4 to level things up. But Kist found a ridiculous 123 checkout just when he needed it, and after Menzies missed a match dart, the Dutchman pounced on D10. The monkey’s officially off his back and the European Tour is no longer a Kist of Death.
Andrew Gilding 4–6 Mensur Suljovic
This one dragged. Two of the most methodical players on tour took turns out-slowing each other, and eventually Suljovic nicked it. Neither was anywhere near top form, but the Austrian’s Plan B outgunned Goldfinger’s. He’ll face Rob Cross next. Fans may need to bring a flask of coffee.
Gian van Veen 6–2 Adam Gawlas
Not vintage Van Veen, but he didn’t need to be. Gawlas came in off a recent MODUS Super Series win but averaged in the mid-80s here, which against Gian is basically waving the white flag. The Dutch wonderkid marches on and sets up a juicy all-Dutch clash with Michael van Gerwen in round two. Pass the popcorn. Should bbe a belter.
Revised Second Round Draw (upon completioin of afternoon session matches)
(6) Rob Cross v Mensur Suljovic
(11) Peter Wright v Luke Woodhouse
(3) Stephen Bunting v Joe Cullen/Ian White
(14) Josh Rock v Wessel Nijman/Karel Sedlacek
(7) James Wade v Kim Huybrechts
(10) Dave Chisnall v Leon Weber
(2) Michael van Gerwen v Gian van Veen
(15) Martin Schindler v Mike De Decker/Martin Lukeman
(5) Chris Dobey v Krzysztof Ratajski
(12) Ross Smith v Daryl Gurney/Callan Rydz
(4) Jonny Clayton v Michael Smith/Mario Vandenbogaerde
(13) Danny Noppert v Dirk van Duijvenbode/Jeffrey de Graaf
(8) Damon Heta v Christian Kist
(9) Bye v Ryan Joyce/Ricardo Pietreczko
(1) Luke Littler v Dylan Slevin
(16) Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld/Xanti Van den Bergh
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