Martin Schindler may have fallen short of European Championship glory in front of his home crowd on Sunday evening, but the German star walked away from Dortmund with a major consolation prize. 'The Wall' lost 11-8 to Ross Smith in the final at the Westfalenhalle, yet his run to the title match secured him a place in the Grand Slam of Darts — a reward he is relishing.
"That's probably the best part of it, I'm going to be in the Grand Slam now," Schindler said after the match. The 11-8 defeat denied him the European title, but reaching the final of a PDC individual major for the first time in his career marked a historic achievement. "I have to say when I was starting for ten years I didn't expect anything and now I was in a major final, and I tried everything to win that one," he reflected.
Schindler's path to the final was impressive. After beating Wessel Nijman and Jermaine Wattimena, he defeated Jonny Clayton and Krzysztof Ratajski in succession on Sunday. In the final, Smith ultimately proved too strong, though Schindler fought back impressively from 9-3 down to make it 9-7. "Fair play to Ross, he was playing good. I'm sorry that I lost but I'm still really happy," Schindler said, praising his opponent's performance.
Smith's victory earned him his second European title, having also lifted the trophy in 2022. The top seed reclaimed the European Championship crown at the Westfalenhalle, as confirmed by the PDC on social media: "DOUBLE DELIGHT IN DORTMUND! Ross Smith reclaims the European Championship crown! The top seed defeats home hero Martin Schindler to seal his second title at the Westfalenhalle!"
Despite the disappointment of losing the final, Schindler leaves Dortmund on a positive note. The European title slipped away, but with his first major final and a place in the Grand Slam of Darts secured, 'The Wall' has enjoyed a memorable weekend.
