Reigning World Champion Rob Cross Dominates at Baltic Sea Darts Open
Rob Cross, the reigning world champion, breezed past Maik Kuivenhoven 6-2 to advance to the final day of the Baltic Sea Darts Open in Kiel, Germany. The former world titleholder showcased his dominance by posting a remarkable 102.59 average.
Cross wasted no time setting the tone, opening the match with a clinical 125 finish after Kuivenhoven had fired in a 180 on 50. Although Kuivenhoven managed to break Cross in the third leg, it proved to be a rare lapse for the Englishman, who quickly reasserted his control.
“Consistently landing two trebles per turn, Cross raced to a comfortable 5-1 lead, highlighted by a superb 167 checkout. While Kuivenhoven managed to steal another leg, Cross ultimately sealed the 6-2 victory to book his place in the next round.”
Elsewhere, Joe Cullen bounced back from a sluggish start to defeat James Wade 6-3. Cullen struggled early on, but found his rhythm in the fourth leg, unleashing a barrage of ton-plus scores to overwhelm Wade. A clinical 10-darter put Cullen within touching distance of the win, and he eventually closed out the match in 17 darts after squandering multiple match darts.
Cullen will now face either Dave Chisnall or Madars Razma in the next round.
In the final match of the afternoon session, qualifier Moritz Hilger was no match for Ricardo Pietreczko, who cruised to a comfortable 6-0 triumph without ever needing to exert maximum effort.
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