Mike De Decker claimed the scalp of Michael Smith on day two of the International Darts Open in Germany.
World champion Smith was far from his best in a lacklustre display which saw him manage just four shots at double, only one of which found its target in a 6-1 defeat.
Niko Springer was the other surprise winner as he despatched of Dimitri Van den Bergh by the same 6-1 scoreline.
DE DECKER KO'S BULLY BOY! 🇧🇪
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) April 1, 2023
WHAT A WIN THAT IS! Mike De Decker comfortably defeats the world number one Michael Smith 6-1 to complete our Finals Day line-up!
📺 https://t.co/M782z4qQ7i | #ET3 R2 pic.twitter.com/Q7LGEJfD1x
Van den Bergh missed 12 darts at double and averaged only 82 in a shocking performance which paved the way for Springer to book a place in the last eight on Sunday.
There he's joined by Michael van Gerwen but only just, after the Dutchman was pushed all the way in a 6-5 victory over Matt Campbell, who missed two darts for the match.
Gerwyn Price averaged over 104 in an impressive 6-3 victory over Ross Smith and Dave Chisnall also topped three-figures to beat UK Open hero Andrew Gilding 6-2.
Joe Cullen lost 6-2 to Alan Soutar while Danny Noppert, like van Gerwen, avoided a match dart as he too prevailed 6-5.
There was also a popular win for Martin Schindler, who gave the German fans the result they wanted as he took out five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld 6-4.
International Open results
Saturday April 1
Second Round
Afternoon Session (1300 local time, 1200 BST)
- Danny Noppert 6-5 Liam Maendl-Lawrance
- Damon Heta 6-3 Brendan Dolan
- Jose De Sousa 6-0 K Lee Evans
- Rob Cross 6-3 Steve Lennon
- Joe Cullen 2-6 Alan Soutar
- Dave Chisnall 6-2 Andrew Gilding
- Josh Rock 6-4 Florian Hempel
- Nathan Aspinall 6-2 Mario Vandenbogaerde
Evening Session (1900 local time, 1800 BST)
- Jonny Clayton 6-4 Brian Raman
- Dimitri Van den Bergh 1-6 Niko Springer
- 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
- Michael Smith 1-6 Mike De Decker
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