Martin Schindler stands before his toughest test yet at the Darts World Championship. He suffered a bitter defeat on his next opponent. Will revenge follow now?
With Martin Schindler, Gabriel Clemens, and Arno Merk, three German darts stars are still in the running when the hottest phase of the Darts World Championship 2026 kicks off after Christmas. The greatest hopes rest on Schindler, who has only dropped one set in his first two matches against Stephen Burton and Keane Barry (Darts World Championship from December 11 to January 3 LIVE on SPORT1 ).
But is the first real challenge for the German top player now waiting in the Round of 32 (Sunday, 1:45 PM) against Ryan Searle? The suspicion is close, especially since he is ranked 20th in the PDC ranking – only seven places behind Schindler. In addition, both have a balanced 2:2 head-to-head record. And a history.
Memorable Schindler Victory 2024: An Advantage?
The last encounter in the final of the Swiss Darts Trophy 2024 was particularly close, which the German won in a spectacular way.
Ryan Searle wants to advance to the next World Championship round against Martin Schindler
“I’ve played against Martin a few times. He beat me in the final in Switzerland, where I missed six or seven match darts. I practically threw away that game last year,” Searle explained during the press conference when asked by SPORT1 .
The Englishman, nicknamed “Heavy Metal,” made no secret of his desire for another chance against Schindler: “If he gets through, I’m looking forward to the rematch.”
Clear, but also unsurprising words. The 38-year-old had suffered a very painful defeat in the memorable final from last year.
Schindler vs. Searle: Last time, tears almost flowed
Searle gave up a 4:0 lead in the final in Basel and lost 7:8 – because Schindler managed a 100-finish at 6:7 and left nothing to chance in the last leg. Searle struggled with tears.
You don’t forget such an evening quickly. And of course, you would like to make it forgotten. Preferably with a rematch at the World Championship.
Psychologically, however, the memorable game from a good year ago is more likely to play into Schindler’s hands. After all, the German top player knows that he can still crack his opponent even with his back against the wall.
Schindler with Respect and Conviction
Before the renewed duel, the German number one remained cool – even if he paid respect to his upcoming opponent.
“I approach it with the same mindset. I try to be and remain positive. I know he can play very, very well, but I believe I can play just as well, if not even better,” “The Wall” answered a question from SPORT1 .
The duel on Sunday will certainly also be about quickly getting back into a good rhythm after the Christmas break. Schindler had the slightly better average in the first two matches, coming in at 96.16 against Barry and 99.14 against Burton.
Searle, on the other hand, averaged 93.29 against Chris Landman and 98.67 against Brendan Dolan.
Martin Schindler meets an old acquaintance in the third World Championship round
However: In terms of checkout percentage, the Englishman was at an advantage so far. Against Landman, he had a rate of 47 percent and against Dolan even 64 percent. Schindler was less accurate on the double with 39 percent each.