Cameron Menzies produced an outstanding display on the opening day of the Elten Safety Shoes Baltic Sea Darts Open, as Dimitri Van den Bergh ended his European Tour hiatus with victory in Kiel. Menzies took centre stage on Day One at the MERKUR Ostseehalle, averaging 108.41 and landing six maximums to claim a crucial 6-4 […]
Cameron Menzies produced an outstanding display on the opening day of the Elten Safety Shoes Baltic Sea Darts Open, as Dimitri Van den Bergh ended his European Tour hiatus with victory in Kiel.
Menzies took centre stage on Day One at the MERKUR Ostseehalle, averaging 108.41 and landing six maximums to claim a crucial 6-4 win over a resurgent Rob Cross.
The pair are both embroiled in a battle to qualify for July’s World Matchplay, but it was the Scottish star who came out on top in a quality affair, aided by a relentless display of power scoring.
“I’ll be honest, I felt really good in that game,” admitted Menzies, who also produced a 170 checkout en route to setting up a tie against Stephen Bunting.
“Rob is coming back and he pushed me, but that’s the best game I’ve played in a long time, and I needed that win.”
Van den Bergh was also among the high-profile names to advance on German soil, reeling off six consecutive legs from 2-0 down to sweep aside Alan Soutar.
The 31-year-old – competing in his first European Tour event for 420 days – will now go head-to-head with Dutch number one Gian van Veen in a blockbuster tussle on Saturday evening.
“I am working so hard behind the scenes,” declared the former World Matchplay champion.
“I am doing my very best, and you’re seeing glimpses of what I can do again.
“There are parts of my game where I’m performing and showing what I can do, but I can do so much more, and I want so much more.”
Justin Hood was another stand-out performer on Friday, averaging north of 103 to complete a 6-4 success against the returning Max Hopp and register his second win on the European Tour stage.
Sebastian Bialecki also averaged in three figures to eliminate James Hurrell, overturning a 3-1 deficit with a five-leg flurry to boost his hopes of securing a World Matchplay debut this summer.
Ryan Joyce advanced in similar style, conjuring up a show-stopping 150 checkout featuring three bullseyes during his comeback win over Christian Kist, in a repeat of their clash in Riesa last week.
Joyce now faces German number one Martin Schindler in round two, while Niels Zonneveld meets second seed James Wade, having won through an attritional all-Dutch affair against Richard Veenstra.
Kevin Doets also navigated his way through a tough challenge against Lukas Wenig, defying 160 and 170 checkouts from the German in setting up a showdown against his old adversary Nathan Aspinall.
Jimmy van Schie marked his European Tour debut with a whitewash win over Ian White, converting six of his seven double attempts to earn a match-up against Belgium’s number one Mike De Decker.
Van Schie’s compatriot Dirk van Duijvenbode also breezed through with a six-leg blitz of Paul Krohne, and his reward is a tie against International Darts Open runner-up Ryan Searle.
Krzysztof Ratajski, meanwhile, will face European Darts Trophy champion Wessel Nijman for a place in the last 16, after halting a late fightback from Daniel Klose to seal a hard-fought 6-3 success.
Joe Cullen kicked off his campaign with a 6-1 thumping of Host Nation qualifier Marcel Hausotter, and his reward is a tasty encounter against 2023 champion Dave Chisnall.
Home favourite Niko Springer also progressed in comprehensive fashion, powering past Hungary’s Nandor Major to book a blockbuster showdown against last weekend’s International Darts Open winner Ross Smith.
William O’Connor landed the day’s third 170 finish in his 6-4 success against Cristo Reyes, as Andrew Gilding capitalised on a disastrous doubling display from Jeffrey de Zwaan to prevail by the same scoreline.
Karel Sedlacek preserved his hopes of World Matchplay qualification with a gruelling deciding-leg win against debutant Jason Riedtke, while Ricky Evans raced to a 6-1 victory against Finland’s Teemu Harju in Friday’s opening fixture.
The Elten Safety Shoes Baltic Sea Darts Open continues from 1200 BST on Saturday, with top seed Van Veen and former European Champion Smith among the star attractions.
Live coverage is being streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with additional coverage available on CANAL+ SPORT 5 and via the CANAL+ streaming service in Poland.
Coverage is also being broadcast on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers’ worldwide.
Click here for match stats & results in the Tournament Hub.
2026 Elten Safety Shoes Baltic Sea Darts Open
Friday May 29
Round One
Afternoon Session
Ricky Evans 6-1 Teemu Harju
Karel Sedlacek 6-5 Jason Riedtke
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Christian Kist
Jimmy van Schie 6-0 Ian White
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Daniel Klose
Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-2 Alan Soutar
Justin Hood 6-4 Max Hopp
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Jeffrey de Zwaan
Evening Session
Niels Zonneveld 6-4 Richard Veenstra
Kevin Doets 6-3 Lukas Wenig
Cameron Menzies 6-4 Rob Cross
Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 James Hurrell
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-0 Paul Krohne
William O’Connor 6-4 Cristo Reyes
Joe Cullen 6-1 Marcel Hausotter
Niko Springer 6-2 Nandor Major
Saturday May 30
Round Two
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
Wessel Nijman v Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Woodhouse v Andrew Gilding
Mike De Decker v Jimmy van Schie
Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
Damon Heta v Karel Sedlacek
Ryan Searle v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Dave Chisnall v Joe Cullen
Jermaine Wattimena v Justin Hood
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
Danny Noppert v William O’Connor
Chris Dobey v Sebastian Bialecki
James Wade v Niels Zonneveld
Stephen Bunting v Cameron Menzies
Nathan Aspinall v Kevin Doets
Gian van Veen v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Martin Schindler v Ryan Joyce
Ross Smith v Niko Springer