Just in time for the World Cup of Darts, the Team World Championship from Thursday to Sunday in Frankfurt, Austria’s figurehead Mensur Suljovic has apparently found his form. The 51-year-old from Vienna advanced to the semi-finals of the Players Championship tournament in Hildesheim on Tuesday.
The former Champions League winner, who recently fell out of the top 32 in the PDC ranking, defeated the European champion Ross Smith on the way to his first semi-final for a long time, including former world champion and fifth in the world rankings Rob Cross (6:1). (6:4) and in the quarter-finals the English UK Open Champion Andrew Gilding (6:4). In the fight for a place in the final, Suljovic was beaten by Englishman Luke Woodhouse 7-2.
Rowby-John Rodriguez, who represents Austria at the World Cup together with Suljovic, also lost 6-2 to Woodhouse in the second round. Rowby-John’s brother Rusty-Jake Rodriguez sensationally knocked out English world champion Michael Smith 6:4 and only lost 3:6 to Dutchman Danny Noppert in the round of 16.
At the World Team Championships in Frankfurt’s Eissporthalle, the number ten seeded Austrians will meet Denmark in the preliminary round on Thursday evening and the USA on Friday. Only the group winner reaches the round of 16.