Niels Zonneveld cruised into the second round of the European Darts Trophy with a 6-1 win over Keane Barry. Afterward, Zonneveld admitted the match was not a high-quality contest, stating, "It was like heads and tails, I think. Luckily it went my way. It was not a great game for both of us, but in the end I won and I think that's the most important thing. Now it's on to tomorrow night." He acknowledged his performance needed improvement, especially in scoring, saying, "I'm happy with that, but my performance has to be a little bit better," though he noted his doubles started strongly with two hits on double twenty.
The victory secured important ranking points and prize money for Zonneveld, who explained, "The most important thing for me at this moment is to win the first game, because then you get some ranking money. I'm really happy with that because I think it's really important for the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix." He added, "But now I want to win the second round as well."
In the next round, Zonneveld faces his compatriot and multiple world champion Michael van Gerwen. Zonneveld has faced Van Gerwen twice before in his career but has never beaten him. He said, "I'm looking forward to playing him on stage. It's just a good feeling when I'm playing him." With great respect, Zonneveld called Van Gerwen "one of the biggest 'GOATs' in Holland when it comes to dart players," adding, "So I'm really looking forward to tomorrow and we'll see." The last time they met was in 2022, and since then, Zonneveld has taken big steps in his development, with his game becoming more consistent and him feeling more comfortable on big stages.
