Germany’s World Cup of Darts duo Max Hopp and Martin Schindler will face Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen in the first-round of the German Darts Masters next week, whilst Kyle Anderson will lock horns with his stablemate Mensur Suljovic in Dusseldorf.
The World Series heads to German soil for the first time next week, as the inaugural German Darts Masters will be held at Dusseldorf’s Castello Arena on October 20th-21st, broadcast live on major German TV station Pro Sieben.
The 16-man field is made up of the top eight PDC players on the World Series Order of Merit, the invited trio of Max Hopp, Martin Schindler and Mensur Suljovic, as well as five additional German Superleague qualifiers.
However, one of the stand-out ties sees top seed Gary Anderson take on German number one Max Hopp. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ is the top seed for the final World Series event in 2017 after his successes in Dubai and Perth earlier this year, but he faces a difficult opening tie against the former World-Youth champion.
Nevertheless, Hopp’s World Cup of Darts teammate Martin Schindler has an equally unenviable task, as he has been pitted against world number one Michael van Gerwen. ‘The Green Machine’ triumphed in Shanghai and Las Vegas back in July, and defeated Schindler in their previous meeting in this year’s World Cup of Darts quarter-final.
Melbourne Darts Masters winner Phil Taylor, seeded third in Dusseldorf, will take on German-born Croatian Robert Marijanovic, but the 16-time world champion won’t be complacent, as Marijanovic qualified for the World Championships back in 2015.
UK Open champion Peter Wright meets the imposing Dragutin Horvat, whilst five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld faces super-league qualifier Stefan Stoyke. Van Barneveld is the only player in PDC history to have competed in all 25 World Series events since its inception in 2013, reaching three finals along the way.
Eight-time major winner James Wade locks horns with Kevin Munch, who reached the last 32 of the World Championship back in 2010. Meanwhile, recent World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney will aim to continue his magnificent form when he plays Maik Langendorf.
The last remaining clash is arguably the tie of the round, as Auckland Darts Masters winner Kyle Anderson meets Champions League of Darts champion Mensur Suljovic. ‘The Gentle’ was handed a wildcard by the PDC last week and he will be relishing the prospect of making his World Series debut in front of a partisan Dusseldorf crowd.
The opening night will see the 16 players face off in the first round on Friday October 20th, before the quarter-finals take place on Saturday afternoon. The tournament will then culminate on Saturday evening, with the semi-finals and final broadcast live in a blockbuster session of darts.
2017 German Darts Masters
First Round Draw & Tournament Bracket
Gary Anderson (1) v Max Hopp
Raymond van Barneveld v Stefan Stoyke
Peter Wright (4) v Dragutin Horvat
Kyle Anderson v Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen (2) v Martin Schindler
James Wade v Kevin Munch
Phil Taylor (3) v Robert Marijanovic
Daryl Gurney v Maik Langendorf
Schedule of Play
Friday October 20
First Round
Raymond van Barneveld v Stefan Stoyke
Daryl Gurney v Maik Langendorf
James Wade v Kevin Munch
Kyle Anderson v Mensur Suljovic
Gary Anderson v Max Hopp
Peter Wright v Dragutin Horvat
Phil Taylor v Robert Marijanovic
Michael van Gerwen v Martin Schindler
Best of 11 legs
Saturday October 21
Afternoon Session
Quarter-Finals
G Anderson/Hopp v Van Barneveld/Stoyke
Wright/Horvat v K Anderson/Suljovic
Taylor/Marijanovic v Gurney/Langendorf
Van Gerwen/Schindler v Wade/Munch
Evening Session
Semi-Finals
Final
Best of 21 legs
Josh's Dartistry 
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