GERMAN duo Martin Schindler and Robert Marijanovic were the top performers on day one of the International Darts Open, as the European Tour event began in Riesa on Friday.
World Cup of Darts star Schindler secured a 6-3 triumph over Ron Meulenkamp, while fellow-Host Nation Qualifier Marijanovic produced the performance of the opening round in his 6-4 defeat of Jan Dekker.
Marijanovic fired in a 100.63 average, the highest of the day ahead of Schindler, as both players progressed to the second round of the weekend's £135,000 event to the delight of the German crowd.
Being on the road with the PDC is the best time of my life
"Every time I play on the big stage it is a great feeling even though I have qualified often over the last few months," said Marijanovic, who is starring in his fifth European Tour event of 2018.
"Being on the road with the PDC is the best time of my life. My motivation is higher this year as I have the advantage of being a Tour Card holder.
"I had my last walk-on song for a couple of years now and I thought it would be time to change it. The result is David Hasselhoff!
"I look forward playing Daryl [Gurney] tomorrow. Everything is possible in darts and I will try my best to defeat him of course."
Former World Championship semi-finalist Jelle Klaasen enjoyed a 6-0 whitewash of Jose Justicia, while Irishman Mickey Mansell won by the same scoreline against Dirk van Duijvenbode to claim his first European Tour victory of the year.
Scottish ace John Henderson was at his clinical best on double top to secure a 6-2 victory over experienced Swede Magnus Caris.
However, Henderson's fellow-Scot Robert Thornton was unable to follow in his countryman's footsteps as he was blown away 6-0 by Dutch ace Danny Noppert.
Veteran stars Terry Jenkins and Steve Beaton both enjoyed successful evenings as Jenkins continued his renaissance with a 6-2 win over Matthew Dennant, while Beaton roared back from 4-1 down to defeat Vincent van der Voort 6-5 in the battle of the former European Tour winners.
German Darts Championship finalist James Wilson staved off a valiant comeback from Adam Huckvale who trailed 5-1 before eventually going down 6-4.
ProTour finalist Ryan Searle dug deep to battle back from 4-2 down to overcome young German Ricardo Pietreczko, but there was no coming back for birthday boy Kyle Anderson as his party was spoiled by Ross Smith who recorded a 6-3 win over the Australian.
Ryan Joyce came through a high-class encounter with Gabriel Clemens, edging past the German 6-5 in a game which saw 11 consecutive holds of throw, while Steve West also came through a tense last-leg decider to see off Dutch qualifier Michael Plooy 6-5.
Barry Lynn struck a magnificent 132 finish to complete his 6-3 win over Canadian youngster Dawson Murschell and make it two first round wins from two on the European Tour this year.
There were also victories for Dutch Darts Masters finalist Steve Lennon, a 6-1 winner against Hungarian debutant Patrik Kovacs, and James Richardson, who piled in finishes of 160 and 141 in his 6-3 win over Terry Temple.
Saturday's second round action sees the 16 seeded players enter the tournament, with coverage to be streamed from 1pm and 7.15pm local time.
The International Darts Open will be broadcast throughout the weekend for PDCTV-HD Subscribers, and through a series of bookmakers' websites worldwide.
Schedule of Play
Friday September 14
First Round
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Steve Lennon 6-1 Patrik Kovacs
James Richardson 6-3 Terry Temple
Mickey Mansell 6-0 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Martin Schindler 6-3 Ron Meulenkamp
Ryan Searle 6-4 Ricardo Pietreczko
Barry Lynn 6-3 Dawson Murschell
Steve West 6-5 Michael Plooy
Jelle Klaasen 6-0 Jose Justicia
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
John Henderson 6-2 Magnus Caris
Danny Noppert 6-0 Robert Thornton
Ross Smith 6-3 Kyle Anderson
Terry Jenkins 6-2 Matthew Dennant
Ryan Joyce 6-5 Gabriel Clemens
James Wilson 6-4 Adam Huckvale
Robert Marijanovic 6-4 Jan Dekker
Steve Beaton 6-5 Vincent van der Voort
Saturday September 15
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Kim Huybrechts v Martin Schindler
Darren Webster v Mickey Mansell
Mervyn King v Steve West
Stephen Bunting v Barry Lynn
Gerwyn Price v John Henderson
Jonny Clayton v Steve Lennon
Dave Chisnall v James Richardson
Jermaine Wattimena v Danny Noppert
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
Ian White v Jelle Klaasen
Simon Whitlock v James Wilson
Max Hopp v Steve Beaton
Joe Cullen v Ross Smith
Adrian Lewis v Terry Jenkins
Mensur Suljovic v Ryan Joyce
Peter Wright v Ryan Searle
Daryl Gurney v Robert Marijanovic
Sunday September 16
Afternoon Session (1pm local time, 12pm BST)
Third Round
Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Final
Sunday’s games played in Draw Bracket order.
Watch Online
PDC European Tour events can be watched online by all PDCTV-HD Subscribers worldwide - click here to visit PDCTV-HD.
Live coverage with faster streams may also be available at the following bookmakers' websites:
bet365 - www.bet365.com - Worldwide
Bet90 - www.bet90.com - Brazil, Germany
Betfair - www.betfair.com - Brazil, Denmark, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Spain, Wales
Betfred - www.betfred.com - England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
bwin - www.bwin.com - Worldwide
FDJ - www.fdj-gaming-solutions.com - France
Fonbet - www.fonbet.com - Armenia, Belarus, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Russian federation, Ukraine
Fortuna - www.fortunagroup.eu - Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovakia
Legolasbet - www.legolas.bet - Sweden
Ligastavok - www.ligastavok.ru/ - Russia
Marathonbet - www.betmarathon.com - Belarus, Russian Federation, Spain, Ukraine
Nike - www.nike.sk - Slovakia
Olimp - www.betolimp.com - Kazakhstan, Russian Federation
Paddy Power - www.paddypower.com/ - England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales
Stoiximan - www.stoiximan.gr - Cyprus, Greece, Romania
Supabets - www.supabets.com.gh - Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa
Superbet - www.superbet.ro/ - Romania, Poland
Tempobet - www.tempobet.org - Europe
Totogaming - www.totogaming.am/en/ - Armenia
Tipsport - www.tipsport.cz - Czech Republic & Slovakia
Unibet - www.unibet.com - Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, United Kingdom
William Hill - www.williamhill.com - Great Britain, Ireland, Spain
Winlinebet - www.winlinebet.ru - Russia
World Sports Betting - www.worldsportsbetting.co.za - Namibia, South Africa