The opening day of the tournament featured eight first round matches at the Westfalenhalle, where top seed Martin Schindler suffered a shock defeat on home soil against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Schindler’s World Cup teammate Gabriel Clemens also exited the competition after a loss to Michael van Gerwen, who began his quest for a fifth European Championship title with a dominant 6-1 victory.
Van Gerwen, a Dutch superstar, impressed the crowd with finishes of 116 and 122 to establish a commanding 5-1 lead before wrapping up the match with a brilliant 12-darter and a 100 average.
“You always need to be sharp in this short format,” said Van Gerwen, who is among five former champions in the 32-player lineup. “I am enjoying my darts again and I think you need to have that if you want to perform well. You want to keep performing well, because there’s still a lot to fight for, and I think this is a really important tournament for me.”
Van Gerwen’s next challenge will be a last 16 clash with longtime rival Gary Anderson, who also showcased his top form by defeating Masters champion Stephen Bunting with a stellar performance.
Anderson, a two-time World Champion, expressed his satisfaction with his performance in his first European Championship appearance since 2016. “I felt like I scored well tonight,” reflected Anderson, who was a runner-up in the tournament back in 2015. “Me and Michael have had some belters; apart from winning the World Championship, the best game I ever played in was when I beat Michael in Dubai!”