For the 14th time, the historic Glaspalast in Sindelfingen welcomed the world’s elite dart players as approximately 17,000 fans made the pilgrimage to the Swabian venue over the weekend. In the end, it was Gerwyn Price who stood at the top: the Welshman secured his tenth Winamax PDC European Tour title at the ELTEN Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix with an 8-6 victory over Ross Smith.
Price Reaches a Milestone
Ten European Tour titles. A number that speaks for itself. With his triumph in the Glaspalast, Gerwyn Price is now the player with the second-most titles in European Tour history, surpassed only by Michael van Gerwen, who leads the rankings unchallenged with 38 titles.
“I’ve been with the PDC for 12 years now. So an average of less than one per year isn’t exactly a staggering record,” Price remarked, putting his success into perspective during his post-match interview.
The final against Ross Smith developed into a high-level duel, remaining neck-and-neck at 5-5. Price managed the decisive break to go 6-5 up and did not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the match. For Smith, it marked his fourth loss in a European Tour final. He had previously lost the final of the European Darts Grand Prix in 2024, with further final defeats occurring at the 2024 European Darts Open and the 2025 Austrian Darts Open.
Schindler Charges into the Quarter-Finals
For Martin Schindler, Sindelfingen was a return to familiar territory. The German number one was the most successful local player, reaching the quarter-finals of the European Tour – a stage “The Wall” last reached during his title win in Graz last year. In the final eight, Schindler missed a match dart for the win against the eventual tournament champion, Gerwyn Price.
Niko Springer also made positive headlines. On Saturday, the “Meenzer Bub” knocked two-time defending champion Gary Anderson out of the tournament. His run was eventually halted by Danny Noppert (4-6) in the Round of 16. Nevertheless, it was another success for Springer, who reached the final day of a tournament for the third time this year.
Michael Unterbuchner was the only one of the four Host Nation Qualifiers to survive the first round before being stopped by Michael van Gerwen (2-6). Michael Hurtz, Paul Krohne, and Robin Masino were eliminated in their opening matches.
Masino and Melderis Celebrate European Tour Debuts
This year, the Glaspalast served as the stage for two new faces on the European Tour: Host Nation Qualifier Robin Masino and Valters Melderis both made their debuts on Europe’s premier darts tournament circuit. The latter pulled off a surprise by surviving the opening round (6-5 against Karel Sedlacek), though Jonny Clayton proved too strong in the following round (1-6).
Next Stop: Graz
The Winamax PDC European Tour won’t be taking a long break after Sindelfingen. The action continues from May 8th to 10th in Graz for the ELTEN Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open. Tickets for the event at the MESSE Congress Graz are available via the official PDC Europe ticket website.
