Michael Smith won his opening match at the Swiss Darts Trophy on Friday, defeating Rob Owen 6-4 after fighting back from 3-1 down. The 2023 world champion hit 50 per cent of his doubles in just his fourth European Tour event of the season.
Smith will face Jermaine Wattimena in Saturday's round two to advance further in the Basel tournament. He made a public commitment regarding his future schedule following the victory.
"I've missed this. I want to apologise and also make a promise in 2027 I will be playing 100 per cent of the tournaments. You will see me back," Smith said, according to Sky Sports. The St Helens thrower is chasing final spots in the European Championship race.
Other standout performances on Friday included Rob Cross, who averaged 105.95 in a 6-3 win over Mario Vandenbogaerde. Bradley Brooks won his opening match 6-4 against Niels Zonneveld, averaging over a ton in a game where both players combined for 13 maximums. Brooks has now won four consecutive opening-round matches in European Tour events this year.
Karel Sedlacek remained alive in the European Championship race by defeating Sebastian Bialecki 6-4, coming back from 4-3 down. Sedlacek averaged over a ton and finished with an 86 checkout on the bull to break the throw for the first time.
Stefan Bellmont made history by becoming the third Swiss player to win a match at the tournament, beating Andrew Gilding 6-3. The 37-year-old won his third career European Tour match in his tenth appearance.
"Playing in front of your home crowd is very special and I wanted to win so much," Bellmont said. "There were quite a few nerves in the early stages of the match, but thankfully I was able to raise my game."
Maik Kuivenhoven ended a five-year losing streak by defeating fellow Dutch player Raymond van Barneveld 6-3. Other Friday winners included Dave Chisnall, Tom Bissell, Cristo Reyes, and Damon Heta, all in opening-round matches at St Jakobshalle.