Gabriel Clemens still has to wait for his first victory at the European Darts Championships. The 40-year-old from Saarland narrowly lost 5:6 against former world champion Peter Wright on Thursday evening (October 26, 23) after leading 4-1 and had to accept the fourth defeat in the fourth European Championship game of his career.
The “German Giant”, as Clemens was called, started strong and was loudly cheered on by the audience. But the former champion Wright, known for his colorful hairstyles and clothes, noticeably improved and caught up. In the round of 16, the Scot Wright will face either world champion Michael Smith (England) or the Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld.
Chisnall already eliminated
Before the duel, top seeded Englishman Dave Chisnall had already said goodbye in front of 2,000 spectators. He surprisingly lost 2:6 against his compatriot Chris Dobey. The former world champions Rob Cross (6:2 against the Belgian Dimitri van den Bergh) and the Welshman Gerwyn Price (6:1 against Keane Barry from Ireland) mastered their tasks confidently.
The third German starter alongside Clemens and Martin Schindler is Ricardo Pietreczko. The debutant – nicknamed Pikachu – will take part in the tournament on Friday evening in a duel with European champion Ross Smith. Pietreczko recently became only the second German ever to win a tournament on the European Tour when he defeated Wright 8:4 in the final in Hildesheim.