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Michael Smith and Dimitri Van den Bergh crash out on day two of International Darts Open

Michael Smith

World Champion Michael Smith and Dimitri Van den Bergh were the surprise casualties on day two of the 2023 Interwetten International Darts Open in Riesa.

Smith has struggled for form so far on the European Tour, having failed to make it past the third round in the opening two events. Nevertheless, the 6-1 victory for Mike De Decker was convincing, with the Belgian restricting Smith to just four attempts at a double.

De Decker sauntered to the first three legs, before a fleeting moment of excellence from Smith saw him land his first 180 to set up an 86 finish for an 11-darter to get his first leg on the board.
But that was as good as it got for the world number one, with De Decker rattling through the next three legs to secure his place in the last 16.

Van den Bergh was the other high profile casualty on day two, as he slipped to a 6-1 defeat against home favourite Nico Springer.

It was a nightmare evening for the Premier League star, who landed just 7% of his attempts at double and averaged 82 as Springer comfortably moved through to Finals Day.

Michael van Gerwen was also pushed all the way, but progressed alongside the likes of Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright, as 13 of the 16 seeded players made it through to the final day of action.

Top seed Van Gerwen was made to work hard for his passage into Sunday's third round, as he edged past Canada's Matt Campbell in a last-leg thriller.
Campbell - who was playing with a borrowed set of darts after his luggage failed to arrive in Germany - missed two darts at double 18 to secure a shock victory - only to watch Van Gerwen pin double ten with his last dart in hand to scrape through.
Elsewhere, reigning champion Gerwyn Price continued his fine form as he blew away European Champion Ross Smith 6-3.
The Welshman posted the highest average of the day at 104.24 and fired a 142 checkout in a devastating performance that saw him lead 4-0, before Smith rallied late to bow out in more respectable fashion.
Worryingly for Price, an injury suffered backstage to his ankle after his match against Smith calls into question his ability to defend his title on Sunday.
There will be more German interest in the final day as Martin Schindler powered past Raymond van Barneveld 6-4, but it was the end of the road for World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens, as he fell to a 6-3 defeat against Dirk van Duijvenbode.
World number two Wright, who has struggled for form in this year's Premier League so far, returned to winning ways as he beat Jose Justicia 6-3.
The Scot produced an assured performance and sealed the victory with a stunning 145 finish to set up a third round tie with compatriot Alan Soutar - who had seen off ninth seed Joe Cullen 6-2 earlier in the day.
Jonny Clayton, a winner in the Berlin leg of the Premier League on Thursday, continued his winning form as he saw off Brian Raman 6-4.
The afternoon session ended in comical fashion as Nathan Aspinall was struck by a falling part of the set after his 6-2 win over Mario Vandenbogaerde.
Jose de Sousa impressed as he thrashed Lee Evans 6-0, whilst Dave Chisnall put in the performance of the afternoon as he averaged over 100 in a 6-2 win over UK Open Champion Andrew Gilding.
Meanwhile, there were also victories for Rob Cross (6-3 vs Steve Lennon), Josh Rock (6-4 vs Florian Hempel), Damon Heta (6-3 vs Brendan Dolan) and Danny Noppert (6-5 vs Liam Maendl-Lawrance).

2023 Interwetten International Darts Open second round results

Danny Noppert 6-5 Liam Maendl-Lawrance

Damon Heta 6-3 Brendan Dolan

Jose de Sousa 6-0 Lee Evans

Rob Cross 6-3 Steve Lennon

Alan Soutar 6-2 Joe Cullen

Dave Chisnall 6-2 Andrew Gilding

Josh Rock 6-4 Florian Hempel

Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Mario Vandenbogaerde

Jonny Clayton 6-4 Brian Raman

Niko Springer 6-1 Dimitri Van den Bergh

Peter Wright 6-3 Jose Justicia

Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Matt Campbell

Gerwyn Price 6-3 Ross Smith

Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 Gabriel Clemens

Martin Schindler 6-4 Raymond van Barneveld

Mike De Decker 6-1 Michael Smith

2023 Interwetten International Darts Open final day fixtures

Michael van Gerwen v Jose de Sousa

Peter Wright v Alan Soutar

Dave Chisnall v Jonny Clayton

Nathan Aspinall v Martin Schindler

Damon Heta v Niko Springer

Dirk van Duijvenbode v Danny Noppert

Rob Cross v Josh Rock

Mike De Decker v Gerwyn Price

Followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in the evening session

Read more: 2023 Darts Calendar: Every major televised tournament, dates, results and where to watch

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