Raymond van Barneveld is among those through to the second round of the Flanders Darts Trophy, but England’s Michael Smith suffered a shock first-round exit.
Van Barneveld came back from 2-0 down to knock out Belgian qualifier Xanti Van den Bergh 6-3, and will meet Ryan Searle on Saturday.
Former world champion Smith was beaten by Belgian Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-5. Vandenbogaerde’s victory means he sets up a tie with Jonny Clayton on Saturday evening in the final game of the session.
Mike De Decker, Kim Huybrechts and Vandenbogaerde were all also victorious on home soil on Friday evening, as all three Belgians won their respective ties.
De Decker will now face German No 1 Martin Schindler in mouth-watering tie on Saturday, while Huybrechts will play James Wade in the second round.
Dylan Slevin was the second player to topple a Belgian on the opening day (after Van Barneveld), defeating Francois Schweyen 6-3 to set up a clash with world champion Luke Littler.
Leon Weber saw off Jermaine Wattimena 6-5 despite averaging 10 points less than his Dutch opponent. Weber’s victory means he will face current Flanders Darts Trophy holder Dave Chisnall.
Gian van Veen hit a 155 checkout on his way to a 6-2 triumph over Adam Gawlas, and will now meet fellow Dutchman Michael van Gerwen in a tasty second-round tie.
Ryan Joyce edged past last year’s finalist Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5, and will advance to Sunday’s finals day after receiving a bye following the news that Gerwyn Price has pulled out with an infected hand.
Karel Sedlacek will play Josh Rock after winning 6-5 and defying a ton-plus average from Wessel Nijman, as the Dutchman was eliminated in the first round of a Euro Tour event for just the second time this year.
Luke Woodhouse averaged just shy of 103 in his 6-1 rout of Johan Engstrom, earning a second-round tie against Peter Wright.
Christian Kist defeated ProTour regular Cameron Menzies 6-5 earlier in the afternoon. The Dutchman pinned a beautiful 123 checkout in the penultimate leg of the match, as he sealed the victory with a brilliant 13-dart leg to set up a clash against Australian No 1 Damon Heta.
Krzysztof Ratajski, despite falling to Steve Lennon in the qualifier for this competition, beat the Irishman 6-3, while Austrian icon Mensur Suljovic beat Andrew Gilding 6-4, and the pair will play Premier League duo Chris Dobey and Rob Cross respectively.
Flanders Darts Trophy schedule and results
Friday August 29
First round – 12pm (UK time)
Leon Weber 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Dylan Slevin 6-3 Francois Schweyen
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Johan Engstrom
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Lukas Wenig
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Steve Lennon
Christian Kist 6-5 Cameron Menzies
Mensur Suljovic 6-4 Andrew Gilding
Gian van Veen 6-2 Adam Gawlas
First round – 6pm
Mario Vandenbogaerde 6-5 Michael Smith
Ryan Joyce 6-5 Ricardo Pietreczko
Joe Cullen 6-1 Ian White
Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Wessel Nijman
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 Jeffrey De Graaf
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Callan Rydz
Mike De Decker 6-3 Martin Lukeman
Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 Xanti Van den Bergh
Saturday August 30
Second round – 12pm
Rob Cross vs Mensur Suljovic
Peter Wright vs Luke Woodhouse
Dave Chisnall vs Leon Weber
Josh Rock vs Karel Sedlacek
Damon Heta vs Christian Kist
Chris Dobey vs Krzysztof Ratajski
Danny Noppert vs Dirk van Duijvenbode
Ross Smith vs Daryl Gurney
Second round – 6pm
James Wade vs Kim Huybrechts
Ryan Searle vs Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price (withdrawn) vs Ryan Joyce
Stephen Bunting vs Josh Cullen
Luke Littler vs Dylan Slevin
Michael van Gerwen vs Gian van Veen
Martin Schindler vs Mike de Decker
Jonny Clayton vs Mario Vandenbogaerde
Sunday August 31
12pm
Last 16
6pm
Quarter-Finals*
Semi-Finals*
Final
*Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order
Flanders Darts Trophy Prize Money
- First round: £1,250
- Second round: £2,500
- Last 16: £4,000
- Quarter-finals: £6,000
- Semi-finals: £8,000
- Runner-up: £12,000
- Champion: £30,000
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