Danny Noppert admitted he was far from his best but still edged past Oskar Lukasiak 6-5 in a tense deciding leg at the European Darts Grand Prix on Saturday afternoon. The Dutchman struggled for rhythm throughout and was forced all the way by a determined Lukasiak, eventually sealing the win with an 86 checkout in the final leg after earlier missed chances allowed the contest to go the distance.
Noppert was blunt in his assessment, revealing his biggest battle was internal rather than against his opponent. "It was a tough battle with myself," he said in conversation with Dartsnews.com. "Every throw at a treble was low and I don't really know why." He admitted the issue was something unfamiliar: "Maybe there's a difference between the practice boards and the stage, I don't know. It hasn't happened before, so I'm not sure." Despite that, he still found a way through, adding: "Today was another tough battle and I didn't really show up, but I got over the line."
The performance came just days after his run to the final on the European Tour in Munich, a result that continues to shape his perspective. "Of course, before the tournament you would sign for reaching the final straight away," Noppert explained. "But when you're there, you want to win." While he takes pride from that run, the desire for more remains clear: "It didn't happen, but I'm proud."
On a day where little came naturally on stage, Noppert pointed to the support from the German crowd as a key factor in getting him through. "The crowd helped me a lot. I really enjoyed that moment when they were singing my name," he said. "I love the German crowd." Having come through a match in which his level dipped well below expectations, Noppert now progresses knowing improvement will be needed, but also with the reassurance that even without his best, he can still find a way to win.
