The European Darts Grand Prix kicked off with a thrilling day of action at the Glaspalast, where Cameron Menzies stole the show with a dazzling display against Raymond van Barneveld. Menzies' impressive 6-3 win was marked by a stunning late surge, as he reeled off legs of 11, 13, and 13 darts to secure a 104.5 average and his fifth consecutive victory over the Dutch legend. Menzies, who will face former European Champion Ross Smith in the next round, reflected on his performance, saying, "I felt tremendous out there.
I wish I could play like that all the time." Van Barneveld was not the only former World Champion to exit the tournament, as Rob Cross and Peter Wright suffered defeats at the hands of Mickey Mansell and Jeffrey de Zwaan, respectively. Mansell's clinical performance earned him a 6-2 win over Cross, with an average of 100.32, setting up a showdown against seventh seed Stephen Bunting.
De Zwaan, meanwhile, edged out Wright in a hard-fought encounter, securing a meeting with newly-crowned German Darts Grand Prix champion Nathan Aspinall. The 2019 champion, Ian White, also bowed out of the competition, losing 6-2 to European Darts Trophy champion Wessel Nijman, who is eyeing his fifth PDC ranking title of 2026.
However, Kim Huybrechts avoided a similar fate, claiming a 6-3 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode to begin his bid for a second European Darts Grand Prix crown. Niko Springer will face defending champion Gary Anderson in one of Saturday's standout fixtures, after opening his campaign with a 6-1 thumping of newcomer Robin Masino.
Michael Unterbuchner starred on home soil, landing a hat-trick of ton-plus checkouts during his deciding-leg success against William O'Connor, setting up a clash against two-time champion Michael van Gerwen. Joe Cullen will play top seed Gian van Veen following a routine 6-1 win over Maik Kuivenhoven. Dave Chisnall and Gerwyn Price will lock horns in another blockbuster tie, after the eight-time European Tour winner closed out a grueling 6-4 victory against Czechia's Petr Krivka.
Keane Barry converted clinical 124 and 130 checkouts to seal a 6-3 success against an in-form Niels Zonneveld, which sets up an enticing clash against Premier League star Josh Rock in round two. Kevin Doets will face Jermaine Wattimena in an all-Dutch affair after fending off a valiant fightback from compatriot Jurjen van der Velde.
Damon Heta navigated his way through a tough opening assignment against Madars Razma, and German number one Martin Schindler now awaits the Australian on Saturday evening. Valters Melderis, meanwhile, edged past Czechia's number one Karel Sedlacek to become the latest Latvian to triumph on the big stage.
Sweden's Oskar Lukasiak also advanced in dramatic fashion, relinquishing a 5-1 lead against Daryl Gurney before eventually sealing the win with his tenth match dart. Elsewhere, last year's runner-up Andrew Gilding and Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski completed the round two line-up, after defeating Host Nation duo Paul Krohne and Michael Hurtz respectively.