Former winners Michael van Gerwen and James Wade will collide in Salzburg on Saturday night after coming through their first round ties at the Cazoo European Championship.
Four-time winner Van Gerwen averaged over 100 in seeing off Boris Krcmar 6-2 on Friday night as 2018 champion Wade came through a last-leg decider against Adam Smith-Neale, while world number one Gerwyn Price also made it safely through to the last 16.
Seeking a first ranking title of 2021, Van Gerwen dominated his meeting with Croatia’s Krcmar, pinning six of his 11 double attempts and landing a 128 checkout in a comfortable win.
“In the beginning I think I played really well,” Van Gerwen reflected. “I think I controlled the game and my focus was there, my confidence was there and that made me win this game.
“That’s one done and now it’s on to the next one. The format suits my game, from here on I think I can do some more damage. I feel comfortable, my game is starting to get somewhere and I hope I can continue the good form.
“I’m playing James Wade tomorrow. I think I can show some more, my feeling is really nice and we’ll see what is going to happen.”
It was a less straightforward passage through for world number four Wade as he recovered from 4-2 down to edge past debutant Smith-Neale.
With Smith-Neale waiting on 100 for the match, Wade found a last dart double five in the deciding leg to avoid joining Peter Wright in a shock early exit.
Eight first round matches took place at the Salzburgarena on the second night of the £500,000 tournament, as World Champion Price laid down a marker by averaging 104.53 in his 6-2 defeat of Ritchie Edhouse.
Like Van Gerwen, 2019 European Championship runner-up Price took control of the tie from the start, and was on target with 50% of his checkout attempts to deny Edhouse a way into the game.
“It was a steady performance and I did the right things at the right times,” said Price. “I wasn’t under much pressure but I was pretty steady today.
“It’s a longer format now and I’ll be more comfortable. I’m playing well and I just need to be on my A-game.
“I’m happy with the performance and I can build from that – if I want to win this tournament, I have to play a bit better.”
Price’s second round assignment will see him take on 19-year-old Czech star Adam Gawlas, who enjoyed a 6-4 debut win over Joe Murnan.
In-form duo Ryan Searle and Danny Noppert will meet in the second round after victories over Michael Smith and Krzysztof Ratajski respectively.
World Grand Prix quarter-finalist Searle went some way to avenging his World Matchplay loss to Smith as he averaged 101.9 in a 6-5 win, having trailed 3-0.
“In that last leg I just wanted to hit the tops and not mess about, and luckily enough it went in,” Searle admitted. “A couple of years ago I may have given up at 3-0, but I dug in.
“When I was 3-0 down I was thinking that if I could get it back to 3-2 at the break I had a chance. I hadn’t travelled this far to give up, and I showed I’m here for the long haul.”
Noppert, a World Grand Prix semi-finalist last week, continued his fine form with a 102.31 average in a convincing 6-2 win over Ratajski.
Fifth seed Nathan Aspinall battled his way to a 6-4 victory over Mervyn King, and he will now face Damon Heta, after the Australian displayed some clinical finishing in a 6-3 defeat of Gabriel Clemens.
The Cazoo European Championship continues on Saturday with eight second round matches played across two sessions.
Jose de Sousa’s meeting with Luke Humphries and Searle’s tie with Noppert are among the pick of the afternoon ties, while Van Gerwen’s contest with Wade and Price’s clash with Gawlas are among the matches scheduled for the evening session.
Tickets for the remained of the tournament are on sale now through PDC Europe – CLICK HERE TO BOOK TICKETS.
To gain entry to the venue, all fans will be required to show proof of a completed approved Covid-19 vaccination, proof of recovery from Covid-19 or a negative Covid-19 test.
The tournament will be broadcast live on ITV4, through the PDC’s international broadcast partners including DAZN and RTL7, through PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers and via matchroom.live.
2021 Cazoo European Championship
Friday October 15
Evening Session
First Round x8
Adam Gawlas 6-4 Joe Murnan
Danny Noppert 6-2 Krzysztof Ratajski
James Wade 6-5 Adam Smith-Neale
Nathan Aspinall 6-4 Mervyn King
Ryan Searle 6-5 Michael Smith
Michael van Gerwen 6-2 Boris Krcmar
Gerwyn Price 6-2 Ritchie Edhouse
Damon Heta 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
