European Darts Open: Nathan Aspinall kickstarts title defence with win as Stephen Bunting knocked out

Nathan Aspinall made an impressive start to the defence of his European Darts Open title as he averaged 107 in a 6-1 victory over Mickey Mansell.

The Englishman, who has already won a European title this year, dropped his only leg of the contest after storming to a 14-dart hold before then claiming the lead again with a 12-darter.

He then won four legs on the bounce in five visits before closing out with another 12-darter and confirm him place in the third round in Leverkusen, where he will face Ross Smith.

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"People keep thinking I've retired!" Aspinall said. "Mickey played well but I felt so relaxed tonight, the thought of watching England later made me relax.

"It's a great win, I'm looking forward to tomorrow [Sunday]. I knew I had a tough game in Mickey, he plays his way but it didn't affect me. I'm just very happy with the win."

Jan Schmidt, a German host nation qualifier, continued his dream run as he beat former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker in a last-leg decider.

He will face James Wade next in round three after the two-time European Tour title winner beat Maik Kuivenhoven 6-3.

Michael van Gerwen averaged just shy of a ton in his 6-3 success over Joe Cullen, setting up a meeting with Damon Heta.

Top seed Gian van Veen averaged upwards of 101 on his way to a 6-3 victory over Niko Springer. The Dutchman will face Krzysztof Ratajski on Sunday.

The first game of the evening session saw Stephen Bunting suffer a second-round exit as he lost 6-3 to Ryan Joyce, who will play Jermaine Wattimena in round three.

Jonny Clayton, who beat Karel Sedlacek 6-1, will take on with Luke Woodhouse after he swept Dragutin Horvat 6-0.

Schedule of play and results

Saturday July 11
Round Two results
Afternoon Session (12pm)
Damon Heta 6-4 Rob Owen
Jan Schmidt 6-5 Mike De Decker
Luke Woodhouse 6-0 Dragutin Horvat
Sebastian Bialecki 6-3 Danny Noppert
Jermaine Wattimena 6-0 Kim Huybrechts
Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-2 Chris Dobey
Wessel Nijman 6-0 Bradley Brooks
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 Max Hopp

Evening Session (6pm)
Stephen Bunting 4-6 Ryan Joyce
James Wade 6-4 Maik Kuivenhoven
Jonny Clayton 6-1 Karel Sedlacek
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Joe Cullen
Gian van Veen 6-3 Niko Springer
Martin Schindler 3-6 Kevin Doets
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Mickey Mansell
Ross Smith 6-1 Niels Zonneveld

Sunday July 12
Round Three schedule (12pm)
Ryan Joyce v Jermaine Wattimena
Jonny Clayton v Luke Woodhouse
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Wessel Nijman
Michael van Gerwen v Damon Heta
Sebastian Bialecki v Kevin Doets
James Wade v Jan Schmidt
Nathan Aspinall v Ross Smith
Gian van Veen v Krzysztof Ratajski

What's happening on Sky Sports next?

The 2026 Betfred World Matchplay will take place at the iconic Winter Gardens from July 18-26, as a 32-player field competes for the prestigious Phil Taylor Trophy.

World No 1 Luke Littler will be eyeing back-to-back titles in Blackpool, with 2024 champion Luke Humphries and three-time World Matchplay winner Van Gerwen also set to star in the £1m event.

This summer's action will also feature the fifth staging of the Betfred Women's World Matchplay, as eight of the biggest names in the women's game battle it out for the title currently held by Lisa Ashton.

Who will win this year's World Matchplay Darts? Luke Littler will be defending his title and you can watch all the action on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.