Nick Zwittnigg made his Euro Tour debut at the Austrian Darts Open in front of a passionate home crowd, but ultimately fell to Andrew Gilding 6-4 in a tightly contested match. The qualifier took an early lead by breaking Gilding’s throw with a 101 checkout, but the former major champion fought back to level and then edge ahead. Five holds of throw saw Gilding take a 5-4 lead before he sealed the win by taking out 40 to break Zwittnigg, who was stranded on 129.
Despite the loss, Zwittnigg was overwhelmed by the experience. “I have to be honest, the walk-on was tough emotionally and because of the nerves,” he told Dartsnews.com after the match. “But once I was on stage, it was an amazing feeling. The fans were fully behind me, especially after the 101 checkout. After that, the whole arena was almost shaking — it was incredible.” He added: “The first cheers, and hearing the chants of ‘We are from Austria,’ gave me unbelievable goosebumps. It was just an amazing feeling.”
Zwittnigg, who qualified for the tournament on his first attempt, admitted his expectations were low. “Honestly, I knew my practice over the last few weeks had been really good, and I felt a few wins were possible,” he said. “But that it would actually work out at the first attempt — qualifying on my first try — was very unexpected. I really have to say that.” He outlined his background: “I think a lot of people probably have the same background. I loved watching the World Darts Championship, then I bought a board and started practising a bit. Eventually, I looked for a club and found one in Klagenfurt. Since then, my passion has simply been to keep improving.”
Looking ahead, Zwittnigg confirmed his intention to attend Q-School in 2027. “Most likely, I’ll go to Q-School next year, and then we’ll see where the journey takes me,” he said. Reflecting on the match, he acknowledged the nerves that crept in when a win seemed possible. “I’d say the nerves definitely came back in the ninth leg because I realised I had chances. And then it became incredibly difficult to find the right rhythm and height with my throw again.” He concluded: “Definitely watching the rest of the afternoon session and the evening session, and then we’ll see what else the weekend brings.”