Nathan Aspinall will renew his rivalry with world number one Luke Humphries in round two of the Hungarian Darts Trophy after an impressive opening-night victory in Budapest, while Niko Springer produced one of the standout performances of Day One.
Aspinall began his bid for a third European Tour title of the year in scintillating fashion, whitewashing Hungarian World Cup star Levente Sarai 6-0 at the MVM Dome. The Stockport ace capped off a dominant display with a sensational 164 checkout on the bull and finished with a 101.33 average to book his clash with Humphries.
“I’m really happy with that performance,” admitted Aspinall.
“Every time me and Luke play we have fantastic games, and he’s world number one for a reason.
“He’s a fantastic dart player, but so am I, and I believe I can do the job tomorrow.”
Springer also impressed as he dumped out last year’s runner-up Gian van Veen 6-3, despite the Dutchman averaging almost 106 and hitting six maximums. The unflappable German pinned six of his eight darts at double to seal a clinical win and move into round two.
Joe Cullen survived three match darts against Lukas Wenig to set up a blockbuster meeting with Luke Littler, while Matthew Dennant earned a showdown with reigning champion Michael van Gerwen after overcoming Andrew Gilding. Several big names exited early, including Van Veen, Wessel Nijman, Dirk van Duijvenbode and Jermaine Wattimena.
Elsewhere, Raymond van Barneveld made a winning start to arrange a clash with Dave Chisnall, and Richard Veenstra progressed to face Gerwyn Price. Rob Owen, Luke Woodhouse and Ryan Joyce also booked places in round two with hard-fought victories.
Round Two takes place across a bumper double session on Saturday, headlined by Aspinall’s eagerly anticipated encounter with Humphries, as Littler, Van Gerwen and other top seeds enter the fray.
Source: PDC.TV
