Cameron Menzies stole the show on the opening day of the Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Grand Prix, as several former champions made an early exit in Sindelfingen. Menzies delivered an outstanding performance, defeating Raymond van Barneveld 6-3 with a 104.5 average, marking his fifth consecutive win over the Dutch legend. Menzies' impressive display was capped off by a strong finish, where he won three consecutive legs with 11, 13, and 13 darts, securing his spot in the next round against former European Champion Ross Smith. "I felt incredible out there.
I wish I could play like that every time," Menzies said, reflecting on his victory. "Every time I've faced Barney, I've played some of my best darts, so he might not be sending me a Christmas card this year!" Van Barneveld wasn't the only former World Champion to fall in Sindelfingen, as Rob Cross and Peter Wright lost to Mickey Mansell and Jeffrey de Zwaan, respectively. Cross, the 2023 European Darts Grand Prix champion, was beaten 6-2 by Mansell, who averaged 100.32 and will now face seventh seed Stephen Bunting.
De Zwaan, on the other hand, defeated 2017 winner Wright in a closely contested match and will meet newly crowned German Darts Grand Prix champion Nathan Aspinall in the next round. 2019 champion Ian White also crashed out of the Glaspalast, 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 a 6-3 victory over 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 win over newcomer Robin Masino. Michael Unterbuchner also impressed on home soil, landing three ton-plus checkouts during his deciding-leg success against William O'Connor.
Unterbuchner's second European Tour win 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 meet in another high-profile tie, after the eight-time European Tour winner secured a hard-fought 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, setting 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.