Richard Veenstra was eliminated after one round at the World Darts Championships. The Dutchman seemed to have trouble with his opponent’s slow pace Alexis Toylo and was unexpectedly defeated 3-0 by the Filipino.
Toylo started the first set of the match surprisingly well. The Filipino took a 2-0 lead after hitting 14 and 15 darters. However, Veenstra was not deterred and responded with finishes of 70 and 67 to force a deciding fifth game.
This ‘Flyers’ resurgence came too late, however, as it was ultimately Toylo who hit two 180s in the final match, and was partly responsible for securing the first set with a 13-darter.
At the beginning of the second set, Veenstra started to find his rhythm a little more. The Dutchman started the first match with a 16-darter for double 17. Toylo continued to dominate the scoring and tied the score with a 19-darter.
The Filipino then hit a spectacular shot of 146 to also make it 2-1, leaving Veenstra with his back to the wall. Toylo was unable to hit a triple after that finish, putting the Flyers up 2-2. In the deciding match, the Dutchman missed two shots up top, allowing the Asian to take a 2-0 lead in sets after double 10.
Toylo then also won the first game of the third set. However, Veenstra still believed in it and got back to 1-1 with a great 12-darter. The Filipino then kept his leg in 15 darts to reach match point. The Dutchman managed to equalize, but it was Toylo who decided on the result – double 16.
Alexis Toylo can now enjoy Sunday off and will then face Pole Krzysztof Ratajski in the second round.
