Euro Tour 3
Friday 13th April 2018 - Sunday 15th April 2018
Rob Cross was seeded number three for the 2018 German Darts Open in Saarbrucken and received a bye to the second round. The world champion produced an excellent performance to whitewash Dimitri Van den Bergh 6-0 and then beat Darren Webster 6-4 and Gerwyn Price 6-1 to advance to the semi-finals. In the last four he came up against German qualifier Max Hopp. With the crowd fully behind their man Hopp took out a 121 finish on the bull in the deciding leg of a 7-6 victory to advance to the final where he fought back from 5-2 down against Michael Smith to win 8-7 with another 121 finish on the bull. .
Last 32 (vs Dimitri Van den Bergh)
Dimitri Van den Bergh made the last 32 with a 6-3 win against William O'Connor, taking out finishes of 140, 121 and 120, averaging 99.
Cross was playing Van den Bergh for the fourth time on the PDC Pro Tour and extended his unbeaten run against the world youth champion with a superb display, winning 6-0 with a 103.66 average.
In the opening leg Van den Bergh left himself with 40 after 15 darts thrown. Cross hit scores of 95, 180, 83, 83 and finished off 60 (20, x, D20) for a 15 darter.
The second leg was the longest of the match after Cross opened up with a couple of poor scores of 40 and 38. He followed those up with 140, 139, 108 and took out 36 in two darts (18, D9) for a 17 darter with the young Belgian back on 104.
Cross opened up the third leg with his second 180 of the night and followed it up with scores of 100, 57 and 57. Van den Bergh was left on 90 as Cross took out 107 (19, T16, D20) to win the leg in 15 darts and break throw for the second time.
The fourth leg was won in 14 darts. Another 180 to kick-off things off followed by 59 and a fourth 180 of the match to leave 82. A dart at the bull hit the 25 then a single 17 left tops with Cross hitting it at the third attempt with Van den Bergh back on 94.
The fifth leg was won with scores of 137, 96, 134 and 98 leaving 36 which Cross hit at the first attempt for a 13 darter with Van den Bergh left waiting on 92.
The sixth and final leg of the match was another won in 13 darts. Opening up with scores of 43, 100 and 180 to leave 178. The next throw was the best of the night as the former electrician hit treble twenty, treble eighteen and treble sixteen for a score of 162 to leave 16. His Belgian opponent left himself 112 after 12 darts as Cross hit double eight to record an impressive win.
Van den Bergh averaged 88.36
Last 16 (vs Darren Webster)
Darren Webster made the last 16 with a 103.3 average in a 6-2 win against Steve West.
Cross got off to a good start in this match as he took out double sixteen to win the first leg in 13 darts. Webster bounced back with a 177 to leave 24 in the second leg, finishing off double twelve at the second attempt to win it in 14 darts.
It took Cross four darts at doubles to go 2-1 up. Eventually taking out double eight in a 21 dart leg. Webster hit two 180s in the fourth leg and Cross hit a 171 (T19, T19, T19) but it was the 'Demolition Man' that won it in 13 darts by hitting double top at the third attempt to make it 2-2.
'Voltage' missed a dart at double eighteen for a 110 finish in the next leg as Webster broke throw for the first time in the match with a 64 finish (16, 8, D20) for a 15 darter.
Cross broke straight back to make it 3-3 with an 11 darter. Two maximums to start off followed by a score of 125 (20, T19, T16) to leave 16. One missed dart at double eight then double four capped a great leg of darts.
Cross then went on to win the seventh leg to go back in front. This one took 16 darts with back-to-back scores of 140, 126 and 132 and a double sixteen finish at the third attempt.
Webster wasn't giving in. He won the next leg in 18 darts with an 86 finish (18, 18, bull) to make it 4-4 Cross then hit double eighteen to win the ninth leg in 16 darts.
Cross sealed a 6-4 victory with another 11 dart leg, again starting off with two 180s but this time two more perfect darts followed, another treble twenty and a treble nineteen to set up a 9 darter. The shot at double twelve fell well wide of the mark. A single twelve followed by a double six won it with Webster way back on 194 despite hitting a 180 himself with his second throw of the leg.
Cross hit four 180s and averaged 99.80. Webster hit five 180s and averaged 86.62.
Quarter-Finals (vs Gerwyn Price)
Gerwyn Price made the quarter-finals with wins against Kirk Shepherd 6-4 and Mensur Suljovic 6-5.
As in the previous round, Cross made a good start to a match with a 13 darter by taking out double top at the first attempt having hit an earlier score of 162 (T18, T18, T18). One missed dart at double four in the second leg allowed Price to square the match at 1-1, an 18 dart leg with a 56 finish (16, x, D20).
Cross started the third leg with what was to be his only maximum of the match and finished it in 14 darts with a 46 checkout (16, D16). A 15 darter with a 104 finish in the next leg (T18, 18, D16) put Cross 3-1 in front.
Four attempts at doubles was required to make it 4-1, taking out double four for a 16 darter. Price then went for a three bullseye finish in the sixth leg. The Welshman wasn't far away, hitting bull, 25, bull as Cross followed up by pinging double sixteen for a 52 finish (20, D16) and a 14 darter.
Cross then went one better in the next leg as he took it in 13 darts, once again hitting the double sixteen to close out a 6-1 victory.
Cross averaged 105.09. Price hit one maximum and average 92.67
Semi-Finals (vs Max Hopp)
Max Hopp came through the host nation qualifier to reach the first round then went on to beat Zoran Lerchbacher 6-1, Peter Wright 6-4, Benito van de Pas 6-4 and Joe Cullen 6-4 to reach the semi-finals.
Cross made a good start to this match, winning the opening leg in 18 darts with a 52 finish (20, x D16). After scores of 81 and 100 to open up the second leg 'Voltage' hit his first 180 of the match and followed it with a score of 128 (18, bull, T20) to leave twelve. One dart at the double six was all that was required to make it 2-0.
Hopp then produced an excellent 11 darter against the throw, firing in scores of 140, 180, 140 and a 41 finish (9, D16). Cross was left waiting on 72 having hit his second maximum of the match. A 15 dart leg with a 56 finish (16, 20, D10) followed from Hopp to make it 2-2.
Both players started the fifth leg with 180s and it was Cross that won it in 13 darts by checking out on double eighteen. A missed dart at double seven from Cross for an 88 finish in the next leg allowed Hopp to make it 3-3 as he took out double eighteen in a 19 dart leg having already missed two darts at it in his previous throw.
It took the world champion five attempts at a double to win the next leg and go 4-3 in front, an 18 dart leg with a 20 finish on the double five. Cross then made an excellent start to the next with scores of 140, 140 and 180, but two darts at double sixteen went astray and he was unable to close out the 41 he had left as Hopp stepped up and finished off 30 (14, D8) to make it 4-4.
Hopp then broke throw to lead for the first time in the match with a 13 dart leg, finishing on double fourteen. Back came Cross to level at 5-5 with a 74 finish (18, 20, D18) to a 15 dart leg.
Another missed dart at double sixteen from Cross in the eleventh leg of the match allowed Hopp to break throw again and go 6-5 up, this time the German 21-yer-old former world youth champion took out 120 (T20, 20, D20) and was now one leg away from victory.
In the next leg Hopp missed a match winning dart at the bull for a 130 finish and two further darts at double sixteen as Cross won it in 13 darts by taking out double top. It was now 6-6 and the match moved into a decider.
Cross with the advantage of throwing first hit scores of 134, 60, 137 and 94 to leave himself 76 after 12 darts. Hopp hit 140, 140 and 100 to leave 121 after just nine darts thrown. A single twenty, treble seventeen and the bull sent the 3000 odd German fans wild as their man had beaten the world champion and made it through to the final.
Hopp hit five 180s and averaged 100.23. Cross hit four 180s and averaged 99.19.
| Last 16 | ||
| Michael van Gerwen | 6-4 | Alan Tabern |
| Ian White | 6-0 | Dave Chisnall |
| Mervyn King | 6-5 | Daryl Gurney |
| Michael Smith | 6-3 | Jelle Klaasen |
| Max Hopp | 6-4 | Benito van de Pas |
| Joe Cullen | 6-2 | Daniel Larsson |
| Gerwyn Price | 6-5 | Mensur Suljovic |
| Rob Cross | 6-4 | Darren Webster |
| Quarter-Finals | ||
| Ian White | 6-2 | Michael van Gerwen |
| Michael Smith | 6-5 | Mervyn King |
| Max Hopp | 6-4 | Joe Cullen |
| Rob Cross | 6-1 | Gerwyn Price |
| Semi-Finals | ||
| Michael Smith | 7-1 | Ian White |
| Max Hopp | 7-6 | Rob Cross |
| Final | ||
| Max Hopp | 8-7 | Michael Smith |