The second day of the prestigious £600,000 event unfolded at the Westfalenhalle, featuring the final eight first-round matchups. Among the notable casualties were Littler, Wright, and two-time champion Rob Cross.
Littler, coming off a record-breaking campaign at the Czech Darts Open, saw his highly-anticipated European Championship aspirations dashed as he fell 6-4 to the impressive Gilding. The former UK Open champion quickly surged to a 3-0 lead, but Littler fought back with a three-leg burst to level the match. However, Gilding maintained composure and clinched victory with a stellar 98.92 average.
“It’s the last thing I expected really, especially with the way Luke has played lately,” confessed the Suffolk veteran. “It’s the third time I’ve played Luke, and tonight it was a case of third time lucky! This is a huge win for me. I was thinking about my flight home tomorrow to be honest, but maybe that helped me to relax!”
Gilding now sets his sights on Ricardo Pietreczko in the next round, after the German star kept local hopes alive with a thrilling last-leg triumph over Damon Heta. Pietreczko staged a remarkable comeback from 5-3 down, sealing the victory with a nerveless 102 checkout in the decider.
“This is a really important win for me,” reflected Pietreczko, who boasted a stellar 100.5 average and a 40% success rate on doubles. “Damon Heta is a great sportsman and a great player, but I am really happy to win this game. I seem to like making comebacks!”
