The former handball goalkeeper, who played in the 2nd Bundesliga, this time looked nervous, flawed and hit significantly fewer triple than in his two previous appearances, which he had designed surprisingly strong.
Dissatisfied early on
Early on, he waved his hand dissatisfied, the first two sentences went relatively quickly to Smith, who was in the before the World Cup Alexandra Palace had not achieved any great success at the PDC World Federation. Even after that, Hempel missed many chances and had to give up the hard-fought legs again and again.
The 31-year-old from Cologne missed the chance to be the first German to win three games at a World Cup – Clemens did not succeed in 2020 because he started with a bye. Hempel can still leave the British capital satisfied. In its first year it earned £ 49,000 and attracted attention with several successes.
No shooting help for Hopp
While Smith had to deal with the winner of the game Steve Lennon (Ireland) against Mervyn King (England) in the round of 16 (from December 29th), Hempel also missed out on helping his compatriot Max Hopp. This could now lose the so-called tour card if the Australian Smith wins another game and displaces him from the necessary 64th place in the world rankings. The tour card entitles players to take part in important PDC tournaments.
Van der Voort with a positive corona test
The Englishman James Wade moved into the round of 16 without a fight. His opponent Vincent van der Voort, like his Dutch compatriot Raymond van Barneveld, had tested positive for the corona virus before.
Clemens outsider against Clayton
Since the game was canceled, the last remaining German darts professional will be used earlier on Monday evening. Gabriel Clemens competes as an outsider at around 9:30 p.m. against Welsh Jonny Clayton, who is already four this year major-Tournaments won.