JAMIE LEWIS is raring to go ahead of his World Series of Darts debut at the German Darts Masters in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.
The World Championship semi-finalist will face Nico Kurz in round one of the World Series curtain-raiser at the Veltins Arena, which will be transformed into a "Darts Music Arena" for the one-day spectacle.
Lewis will take his World Series bow in front of a record-breaking crowd of over 20,000 passionate German fans, and the Welshman is keen to make a big impression.
“It’s going to be an incredible experience playing in front of such a huge crowd,” said Lewis, who hit a nine-dart finish at Players Championship Three in March.
“When I started playing darts I never could’ve imagined that I’d be playing in a big football stadium.
“If I play like I know I can then there’s no reason why I can’t win it, I showed at the Worlds I can beat anyone on my day.
“I just need to find some consistency and if I turn up and play my best game on Friday then I can walk out of there with the trophy.”
Lewis will be making his first televised appearance since his famous run to the World Championship semi-finals which eventually saw him lose to Phil Taylor.
“I’m really looking forward to playing on TV again, I love playing on the biggest stages and hopefully I can play like I did at the Worlds," added Lewis.
“I think I strive on pressure.
"I tend to do a lot better on the big stage than I do on the floor so I think playing in front of such a huge crowd will help my game.”
Lewis’ will be hoping to make a winning debut in his first round clash with Kurz, who will be aiming to cause an upset in his big stage debut in front of a home crowd.
“I am fully focussed on winning my opening game,” said Lewis.
“Hopefully my big stage experience could help me if it’s a tight game, I’m sure he will have the crowd behind him but I won’t let that affect me.”
Eight leading German players will compete in the tournament, led by German Darts Open champion Max Hopp, who will be hoping for first career win against Michael van Gerwen.
The first round will be split across two mini-sessions at 3pm and 5.30pm local time, with the quarter-finals kicking off a bumper evening session from 8pm.
The intervals will see music acts on stage at the Veltins Arena to complement the unique World Series of Darts tournament.
The German Darts Masters will be shown live on ITV4 from 1.45pm-6.30pm and 7pm-12am.
Fans outside the UK and the Netherlands can watch in PDCTV-HD.
Tickets for the 2018 German Darts Masters are still available and can be purchased via THIS LINK.
2018 German Darts Masters
First Round Draw
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Max Hopp
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Gary Anderson (4) v Gabriel Clemens
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Peter Wright (2) v Dragutin Horvat
Raymond van Barneveld v Manfred Bilderl
Rob Cross (3) v Stefan Stoyke
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Schedule of Play
First Round
3pm Local Time
Raymond van Barneveld v Manfred Bilderl
Jamie Lewis v Nico Kurz
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Marijanovic
Gary Anderson v Gabriel Clemens
5.30pm Local time
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler
Michael van Gerwen v Max Hopp
Peter Wright v Dragutin Horvat
Rob Cross v Stefan Stoyke
Best of 11 legs
Quarter-Finals
8pm Local Time
Anderson/Clemens v Lewis/Kurz
Van Gerwen/Hopp v Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat v Van Barneveld/Bilderl
Cross/Stoyke v Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Semi-Finals
Anderson/Clemens/Lewis/Kurz v Van Gerwen/Hopp/Van den Bergh/Schindler
Wright/Horvat/Van Barneveld/Bilderl v Cross/Stoyke/Suljovic/Marijanovic
Best of 15 legs
Final
v
Best of 15 legs
2018 PDC World Series of Darts Events
German Darts Masters May 25, Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
U.S. Darts Masters July 6-7, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas, USA
Shanghai Darts Masters July 13-14, Pullman Hotel Shanghai South, China
Auckland Darts Masters August 3-5, Trusts Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Melbourne Darts Masters August 10-12, Hisense Arena, Melbourne, Australia
Brisbane Darts Masters August 17-19, BCEC, Brisbane, Australia
World Series of Darts Finals November 2-4, Multiversum, Schwechat, Vienna, Austria
Ticket info at https://www.pdc.tv/world-series-darts-event-tickets