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Florian Hempel in London: 3:2 against the Englishman Keegan Brown
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Luke Walker/Getty Images
Florian Hempel kept his nerve at the Darts World Cup and was the first German to win a game.
The 32-year-old from Cologne won a thrilling 3-2 match against Englishman Keegan Brown late on Friday evening and can hope for a repeat of last year's coup at Alexandra Palace.
The two professionals acted as equals for a long time, Hempel was particularly strong in the doubles.
After being 1:2 behind in the meantime, Hempel turned up the heat again and ended up winning the decisive leg.
“Keegan asked everything of me.
But I felt more and more that I had the upper hand," said Hempel at DAZN: "In the end it turned out as I had hoped."
The German will now face fellow English favorite Luke Humphries, who is fifth seeded, in the second round.
For Germany, the hopes rest not only on Hempel but also on Gabriel Clemens and Martin Schindler, who have a bye in the first round because of their good ranking position.
Last year, Hempel had defeated compatriot Schindler and Belgian star player Dimitri van den Bergh.
2022 was rather mixed for the player with the nickname "Kölsche Jung".
Now he has another chance at a World Cup success.
ani/dpa
