Out of the Darts World Cup: Gabriel Clemens fails early

Gabriel Clemens has been eliminated from the Darts World Cup in London. The 41-year-old from Saarland lost 3-1 to the outsider from Wales, Robert Owen, in the second round. This means that Clemens, who completely unexpectedly made it to the World Cup semi-finals two years ago, will not move into the final phase of the tournament from December 27th.

Owen had already caused a surprise in round one and defeated the Dutchman Niels Zonneveld 3-1. The Germans had previously made a strong start to the £2.5 million (around €3 million) tournament at Alexandra Palace. Kai Gotthardt defeated the Scot Alan Soutar, Ricardo Pietreczko achieved a clear victory against Zong Xiao Chen from China.

Rounds one and two will be played in London before Christmas. The tournament is suspended on Christmas Eve and the two Christmas holidays. The third round and the round of 16 will take place between December 27th and 30th. Starting with the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day, the decision on the world champion will be made at the beginning of 2025.