Nico Blum created history at the German Darts Open
Blum, 16, becomes the first player born in this millennium to win on PDC Tour
Saturday 22 April 2017 14:32, UK
Teenger Nico Blum created history with a win over Josh Payne on his European Tour debut at the German Darts Open on Friday.
German qualifier Blum, 16, became the first player born in this millennium to win on the PDC European Tour as he overcame Payne 6-4 in Saarbrucken to make an immediate impact on his stage debut.
Payne opened the game with a 135 bull finish, but Blum moved out into a 4-2 lead, and though the 2016 Players Championship winner hit back to level, two more legs for the youngster took him through to face Cristo Reyes on Saturday.
Mervyn King's bid to win a second European Tour title began with a deciding-leg triumph as he saw off Robbie Green, progressing to a second-round date with Kim Huybrechts.
Another former European Tour winner, Vincent van der Voort, edged past Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-5 in their all-Dutch first-round tie, and now plays Joe Cullen in the last-32.
There was disappointment, though, for 2015 European Darts Open winner Robert Thornton as he lost out 6-3 to Nathan Aspinall, who now plays Premier League ace Dave Chisnall.
Ronny Huybrechts set up a clash with World Champion Michael van Gerwen by whitewashing Austrian qualifier Zoran Lerchbacher, in one of two 6-0 wins on the day for Belgian players.
Former Players Championship Finals winner Paul Nicholson enjoyed a 6-1 win over German youngster Martin Schindler as he moves through to meet number four seed Benito van de Pas.
You can see all the Premier League action from the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham on Thursday from 7pm on Sky Sports 5 HD, including the clash between Michael van Gerwen and Adrian Lewis.
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