Updated December 21, 2021 at 10:52 p.m.
- Florian Hembell of Cologne caused a stir at the Darts World Cup in London.
- In the second round, the 31-year-old stunned fifth seed Dimitri van Den Berg of Belgium 3-1.
Debutant Florian Hembell created a real surprise at the Darts World Cup in London and knocked out co-favorite Dmitry van den Berg. The 31-year-old Cologne-based player defeated the Belgian lead 3-1 on Tuesday evening, thus entering the third round completely unexpectedly. Hempel initially beat teammate and coach Martin Schindler 3-0. The career changer will continue his third round fight on December 27th. He now has to spend Christmas in London – and because of the strict isolation rules.
Hembel: “I beat one of the best players in the world”
“I beat one of the best players in the world. I felt very comfortable on stage. This is my first year. Now I’m in the third round. It’s crazy,” Hemble said in an interview with Sky Sports. He is guaranteed a prize of 25,000 25,000 (approximately ,500 29,500).
Hembel gave a strong start early on. Snatched the first sentence from a fellow favorite. With an average of 106 points, the former handball goalkeeper from Germany initially played at a very high level. After that, Van Den Berg, after winning the World Matchplay 2020, significantly increased and won the second set. As a result, the Germans confirmed and really overcame the surprise.
Even before the game began, the atmosphere of Alexandra’s palace was full. Hempel ran to Pring’s hit song “Golshe Jung” and sang again. Van Den Berg, 27, nicknamed “The Dreammaker” put his usual filigree dances down on stage – but it ended up being easily playful. (Gray / DPA)
