Martin Schindler may have missed out on the European Championship title in front of his home crowd, but the German has a welcome consolation: a place in the Grand Slam of Darts. 'The Wall' lost 11-8 to Ross Smith in Sunday evening's final at the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, yet his run to the final secured him a spot in the Grand Slam, a tournament he is particularly looking forward to. "That's probably the best part of it, I'm going to be in the Grand Slam now," Schindler said.
Schindler's performance in Dortmund was a historic one. He reached the final of a PDC individual major for the first time in his career, a feat he admitted he never expected. "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. En route to the final, Schindler beat Wessel Nijman and Jermaine Wattimena, before defeating 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. Smith claimed his second European title with the win, having also lifted the trophy in 2022. "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.
Despite the disappointment of losing the final, Schindler was proud of his 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 said. The German 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.
