2018 European Darts Matchplay

2018 European Darts Matchplay
Tournament information
Dates	29 June–1 July 2018
Venue	Edel-optics.de Arena
Location	Hamburg
Country	Germany
Organisation(s)	PDC
Format	Legs
Prize fund	£135,000
Winner's share	£25,000
Nine-dart finish	Michael van Gerwen (second round)
High checkout	160 Vincent van der Voort Kim Huybrechts
Champion(s)
Michael van Gerwen
«Event 8 Event 10»

The 2018 European Darts Matchplay was the ninth of thirteen PDC European Tour events on the 2018 PDC Pro Tour. The tournament took place at the Edel-optics.de Arena, Hamburg, Germany from 29 June–1 July 2018. It featured a field of 48 players and £135,000 in prize money, with £25,000 going to the winner.

Michael van Gerwen was the defending champion after defeating Mensur Suljović 6–3 in the previous year's final, and he retained his title by defeating William O'Connor 8–2 in the final.

Van Gerwen also threw the first European Tour nine-dart finish in over 5 years against Ryan Joyce in the second round.

Prize money

This is how the prize money is divided:

Stage (num. of players)		Prize money
Winner	(1)	£25,000
Runner-up	(1)	£10,000
Semi-finalists	(2)	£6,000
Quarter-finalists	(4)	£4,000
Third round losers	(8)	£3,000
Second round losers	(16)	£2,000
First round losers	(16)	£1,000
Total	£135,000

Prize money will count towards the PDC Order of Merit, the ProTour Order of Merit and the European Tour Order of Merit, with one exception: should a seeded player lose in the second round (last 32), their prize money will not count towards any Orders of Merit, although they still receive the full prize money payment.

Qualification and format

The top 16 entrants from the PDC ProTour Order of Merit on 8 June will automatically qualify for the event and will be seeded in the second round.

The remaining 32 places will go to players from five qualifying events – 16 from the UK Qualifier (held in Wigan on 15 June), 8 from the West/South European Qualifier (held on 28 June), 6 from the Host Nation Qualifier (held on 28 June), 1 from the Nordic & Baltic Qualifier (held on 25 May) and 1 from the East European Qualifier (held on 25 February).

Peter Wright, who would have been the number 2 seed, withdrew from the tournament prior to the draw. James Wilson, the highest-ranked qualifier, was promoted to 16th seed. Jim Brown also withdrew prior to the draw. Two extra places were made available in the Host Nation Qualifier.

The following players will take part in the tournament:

Top 16

1. Michael van Gerwen (champion)
2. Michael Smith (second round)
3. Rob Cross (second round)
4. Daryl Gurney (third round)
5. Joe Cullen (third round)
6. Mensur Suljović (quarter-finals)
7. Jonny Clayton (second round)
8. Ian White (quarter-finals)
9. Darren Webster (third round)
10. Gerwyn Price (quarter-finals)
11. Mervyn King (second round)
12. Simon Whitlock (second round)
13. Stephen Bunting (semi-finals)
14. Kim Huybrechts (third round)
15. Steve Beaton (second round)
16. James Wilson (second round)

UK Qualifier

• Robert Owen (first round)
• Michael Barnard (first round)
• Jamie Bain (first round)
• Martin Atkins (first round)
• Keegan Brown (first round)
• Darren Johnson (first round)
• Paul Rowley (third round)
• Justin Pipe (quarter-finals)
• Luke Humphries (second round)
• Andy Boulton (semi-finals)
• Ryan Joyce (second round)
• Chris Dobey (second round)
• William O'Connor (runner-up)
• Robert Thornton (third round)
• Mark Wilson (first round)
• Jason Lowe (third round)

West/South European Qualifier

• Cristo Reyes (first round)
• Vincent van der Voort (first round)
• Ronny Huybrechts (first round)
• Mike De Decker (first round)
• Dirk van Duijvenbode (first round)
• Jermaine Wattimena (first round)
• Mario Robbe (first round)
• Jelle Klaasen (third round)

Host Nation Qualifier

• Max Hopp (second round)
• René Eidams (first round)
• Robert Marijanović (second round)
• Martin Schindler (second round)
• Dragutin Horvat (first round)
• Maik Langendorf (second round)

Nordic & Baltic Qualifier

• Darius Labanauskas (second round)

East European Qualifier

• Boris Koltsov (second round)

Draw

	First round (best of 11 legs) 29 June					Second round (best of 11 legs) 30 June					Third round (best of 11 legs) 1 July					Quarter-finals (best of 11 legs) 1 July					Semi-finals (best of 13 legs) 1 July					Final (best of 15 legs) 1 July
						1	Michael van Gerwen 104.87	6
	Mark Wilson 75.80		1				Ryan Joyce 91.84	2
											1	van Gerwen 101.33	6
	Ryan Joyce 87.05		6
												Thornton 83.70	1
						16	James Wilson 88.72	5
	Robert Thornton 80.22		6				Robert Thornton 86.46	6
																1	van Gerwen 104.82	6
	René Eidams 80.91		4
																8	White 94.31	4
						8	Ian White 85.73	6
	Dirk van Duijvenbode 81.39		4				Max Hopp 76.97	2
											8	White 98.60	6
	Max Hopp 84.25		6
											9	Webster 92.82	2
						9	Darren Webster 86.34	6
	Luke Humphries 88.60		6				Luke Humphries 88.78	3
																					1	van Gerwen 99.55	7
	Ronny Huybrechts 88.24		5
																					13	Bunting 94.04	4
						5	Joe Cullen 83.66	6
	Martin Schindler 92.87		6				Martin Schindler 90.46	3
											5	Cullen 92.64	4
	Mario Robbe 78.53		1
												Pipe 92.44	6
						12	Simon Whitlock 94.70	3
	Vincent van der Voort 93.64		3				Justin Pipe 88.95	6
																	Pipe 87.45	3
	Justin Pipe 88.68		6
																13	Bunting 92.05	6
						4	Daryl Gurney 85.62	6
	Robert Marijanović 101.28		6				Robert Marijanović 84.57	5
											4	Gurney 95.88	5
	Jermaine Wattimena 93.40		3
											13	Bunting 95.00	6
						13	Stephen Bunting 88.50	6
	Mike De Decker 82.27		2				Darius Labanauskas 88.18	5
																										1	van Gerwen 105.17	8
	Darius Labanauskas 86.36		6
																											O'Connor 93.92	2
						2	Michael Smith 94.88	4
	Jelle Klaasen 95.26		6				Jelle Klaasen 93.89	6
											Klaasen 78.19		1
	Dragutin Horvat 91.82		3
											Boulton 92.44		6
						15	Steve Beaton 87.72	4
	Cristo Reyes 90.47		4				Andy Boulton 89.56	6
																	Boulton 85.55	6
	Andy Boulton 86.35		6
																10	Price 87.31	5
						7	Jonny Clayton 85.60	5
	Jason Lowe 95.62		6				Jason Lowe 86.18	6
												Lowe 93.44	2
	Keegan Brown 100.27		5
											10	Price 98.82	6
						10	Gerwyn Price 88.75	6
	Maik Langendorf 89.92		6				Maik Langendorf 80.94	3
																					Boulton 85.89		3
	Michael Barnard 80.75		1
																					O'Connor 92.30		7
						6	Mensur Suljović 90.51	6
	Robert Owen 92.24		2				Boris Koltsov 84.81	3
											6	Suljović 104.60	6
	Boris Koltsov 97.39		6
												Rowley 92.39	2
						11	Mervyn King 94.30	4
	Darren Johnson 89.46		3				Paul Rowley 91.83	6
																6	Suljović 101.28	3
	Paul Rowley 90.57		6
																	O'Connor 96.35	6
						3	Rob Cross 98.98	4
	William O'Connor 101.68		6				William O'Connor 94.45	6
												O'Connor 90.27	6
	Martin Atkins 89.50		1
											14	K. Huybrechts 85.33	5
						14	Kim Huybrechts 87.62	6
	Jamie Bain 86.08		1				Chris Dobey 88.16	4
	Chris Dobey 88.08		6