Menzies Stuns Van Barneveld with Sensational Performance at European Darts Grand Prix

Cameron Menzies stole the show on the opening day of the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix, beating a determined Raymond van Barneveld 6-3. The 36-year-old produced a stunning late surge, winning three consecutive legs in 11, 13, and 13 darts, to secure a fifth consecutive victory over the Dutch legend with a 104.5 average. Menzies expressed his delight, saying, "I felt incredible 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 lost to Mickey Mansell and Jeffrey de Zwaan, respectively. Cross, the 2023 European Darts Grand Prix champion, was defeated 6-2 by a clinical Mansell, who averaged 100.32 to set up a meeting with seventh seed Stephen Bunting. De Zwaan overcame 2017 winner Wright in a closely contested match, earning a showdown with newly crowned German Darts Grand Prix champion Nathan Aspinall. 2019 champion Ian White also crashed out, losing 6-2 to European Darts Trophy champion Wessel Nijman, who is seeking his fifth PDC ranking title of 2026 this weekend. However, a resurgent Kim Huybrechts avoided the same fate as Cross, Wright, and White, claiming the scalp of Dirk van Duijvenbode to begin his bid for a second European Darts Grand Prix crown. German star Niko Springer will face defending champion Gary Anderson in one of Saturday's standout fixtures, after opening his campaign with a 6-1 thrashing of newcomer Robin Masino. Michael Unterbuchner also impressed on home soil, landing a hat-trick of ton-plus checkouts during his deciding-leg success against William O'Connor. Unterbuchner's second win on the European Tour stage sets up a clash against two-time champion Michael van Gerwen, while 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 - a semi-finalist in Munich earlier this month - 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. Nevertheless, there was joy for Razma's World Cup partner Valters Melderis, who 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. The schedule for the remaining rounds is as follows: Friday April 17 Round One Afternoon Session Valters Melderis 6-5 Karel Sedlacek Wessel Nijman 6-2 Ian White Keane Barry 6-3 Niels Zonneveld Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Michael Hurtz Kevin Doets 6-4 Jurjen van der Velde Andrew Gilding 6-3 Paul Krohne Mickey Mansell 6-2 Rob Cross Dave Chisnall 6-4 Petr Krivka Evening Session Michael Unterbuchner 6-5 William O'Connor Joe Cullen 6-1 Maik Kuivenhoven Jeffrey de Zwaan 6-3 Peter Wright Cameron Menzies 6-3 Raymond van Barneveld Damon Heta 6-4 Madars Razma Kim Huybrechts 6-3 Dirk van Duijvenbode Oskar Lukasiak 6-5 Daryl Gurney Niko Springer 6-1 Robin Masino Saturday April 18 Round Two Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST) Mike De Decker v Krzysztof Ratajski Jermaine Wattimena v Kevin Doets Ryan Searle v Wessel Nijman Danny Noppert v Oskar Lukasiak Chris Dobey v Andrew Gilding Gary Anderson v Niko Springer Stephen Bunting v Mickey Mansell Josh Rock v Keane Barry Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST) Ross Smith v Cameron Menzies Gerwyn Price v Dave Chisnall Nathan Aspinall v Jeffrey de Zwaan James Wade v Kim Huybrechts Gian van Veen v Joe Cullen Michael van Gerwen v Michael Unterbuchner Martin Schindler v Damon Heta Jonny Clayton v Valters Melderis