The best German darts professional Gabriel Clemens also missed the round of 16 at the Masters in his third attempt.
The 2023 World Cup semi-finalist lost 6-2 to Australian Damon Heta in the first round on Friday evening. Debutant Martin Schindler also had to clearly admit defeat in the high-class 1:6 against Dave Chisnall from England in Milton Keynes, England.
No player from Germany has ever made it to the round of 16 at the first major tournament of the year. Previously, the world number 22. Clemens lost his first round games in 2022 and 2023. Another German had not been able to qualify before, but this time Schindler also took part as number 23 in the ranking.
Clemens’s downfall was primarily due to his double quota. Only two of his seven attempts at the outermost ring landed in the field, while Heta only missed two darts. Schindler, who averaged almost 104 points, also missed a number of opportunities. Chisnall, who threw six 180s and even managed an average of almost 109 points, remained ice-cold.
The 24 best players in the Order of Merit compete in the Masters. The top eight are seeded in the round of 16. The winner receives prize money of 275,000 pounds (around 322,000 euros), but this does not count towards the world rankings. The defending champion is the Englishman Chris Dobey.