”It’s certainly not meant to be arrogant, but I feel comfortable” – Jermaine Wattimena has super start at European Championship against home hope
Jermaine Wattimena booked his place in the second round of the European Championship in Dortmund on Friday night with a commanding 6–3 victory over Germany’s Nico Springer, producing a superb average of 106.87 in the process.
The 37-year-old Dutchman flew out of the blocks, winning the opening four legs in style with visits of 13, 14, 12, and 11 darts to open up a commanding lead. His blistering start saw his average soar beyond the 120 mark, briefly putting him on course to threaten Phil Taylor’s long-standing record average of 118.14 from 2009.
Springer managed to settle into the contest and reduced the deficit to 4–3, but missed four darts at double in the eighth leg to level the match. Wattimena punished those errors, cleaning up clinically before sealing victory with a 14-darter.
“I was so focused,” Wattimena told Viaplay afterwards. “You know you’re playing against a German and the whole crowd, but at one point you don’t really hear them anymore because you’re throwing so well.”
The Dutchman was typically modest when asked about his electric scoring spell. “You need that level to beat him,” he said. When reporter Arjan van der Giessen mentioned the impressive statistics, Wattimena couldn’t help but smile. “I’m very happy with it,” he added. “It’s certainly not meant to be arrogant, but I feel comfortable with how I’m playing.”
The victory continues what has been a strong season for ‘The Machine Gun’, who has already picked up two ProTour titles and is edging closer to the world’s top 20 on the PDC Order of Merit. He’ll return to the stage on Saturday night to face Ricardo Pietreczko, who caused an upset by defeating Josh Rock in his opening match.
