Cristo Reyes produced a magical nine-dart finish during the second round of the Elten Safety Shoes Austrian Darts Open, where Gian van Veen suffered a shock early exit.
Seven seeds were sent packing on Saturday at the Stadthalle, where Reyes stole the headlines after firing a perfect leg during his victory over Australian No 1 Damon Heta.
The Spaniard has been a revelation since reclaiming his PDC Tour Card in January and he delivered another stellar showing in Austria, averaging 101.89 and hitting six 180s to seal a 6-4 success.
Reyes will face Danny Noppert in the last 16
Reyes raised the roof with his nine-dart exploits in leg four, before defying a valiant fightback from Heta to wrap up proceedings with a brilliant 11-darter.
“I feel very happy,” reflected Reyes, who will face fifth seed Danny Noppert for a place in the quarter-finals. “When I hit the nine-darter I got more nervous, but this is amazing. I want to say thank you to this fantastic crowd.”
Michael van Gerwen also impressed in a bumper evening session, averaging 103.41 and converting a trio of ton-plus checkouts to defeat Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 and open his bid for a fifth Austrian Darts Open crown.
Van Gerwen will set his sights on a showdown against two-time European champion Rob Cross, who overcame William O’Connor by the same scoreline in Saturday’s afternoon session.
Dutch superstar Van Gerwen is the highest-ranked player left standing in Graz after top seed Van Veen was beaten in a last-leg decider by Latvian No 1 Madars Razma.
Van Veen crashed out alongside his fellow countryman Wessel Nijman, who was blown away by a rampant Niko Springer in a battle between two of the sport’s most explosive talents.
Elsewhere, James Wade produced a virtuoso display to end the hopes of Austrian icon Mensur Suljovic, averaging 103 and conjuring up a hat-trick of 11-darters en route to a dominant 6-2 win.
Reigning champion Martin Schindler also advanced in convincing style, firing in six maximums and reeling off five consecutive legs from 2-1 adrift to sweep aside a struggling Peter Wright.
Kim Huybrechts maintained his resurgence with a sensational deciding-leg win over Chris Dobey, following up a 10-dart break with a breathtaking 132 finish on the bull to overturn a 5-4 deficit.
The Belgian will play Andrew Gilding in the last 16 after the 2023 UK Open champion averaged 100.92 in his 6-4 success against former European Championship runner-up Jermaine Wattimena.
Ross Smith – runner-up to Schindler in last year’s tournament – averaged north of 102 in disposing of Niels Zonneveld while Luke Woodhouse also averaged over a ton in his 6-1 thrashing of Rob Owen.
Northern Ireland’s World Cup champions Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney also safely advanced to Finals Day, courtesy of 6-3 victories against Patrik Kovacs and Ian White respectively.
Josh Rock is through to the last 16 in Austria
Kevin Doets celebrated a first career victory over Ryan Searle to book a tie against Ryan Joyce, who condemned Mike De Decker to a sixth consecutive defeat on the European Tour. Danny Noppert completes the last 16 line-up after surviving three match darts to sink Alan Soutar in a gruelling last leg.
The Austrian Darts Open continues from 1200 BST on Sunday as the remaining 16 players battle it out in the afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a blockbuster evening session.
Austrian Darts Open: Saturday’s results
Afternoon Session
Andrew Gilding 6-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Ryan Joyce 6-3 Mike De Decker
Rob Cross 6-3 William O’Connor
Kevin Doets 6-2 Ryan Searle
Ross Smith 6-3 Niels Zonneveld
Cristo Reyes 6-4 Damon Heta
Luke Woodhouse 6-1 Rob Owen
Kim Huybrechts 6-5 Chris Dobey
Evening Session
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Ian White
Josh Rock 6-3 Patrik Kovacs
James Wade 6-2 Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
Danny Noppert 6-5 Alan Soutar
Madars Razma 6-5 Gian van Veen
Martin Schindler 6-2 Peter Wright
Niko Springer 6-0 Wessel Nijman
Austrian Darts Open: Sunday’s schedule
Round Three (from 1200 BST)
Kevin Doets v Ryan Joyce
James Wade v Luke Woodhouse
Kim Huybrechts v Andrew Gilding
Michael van Gerwen v Rob Cross
Danny Noppert v Cristo Reyes
Josh Rock v Niko Springer
Ross Smith v Martin Schindler
Madars Razma v Daryl Gurney
Evening Session (From 1800 BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
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