Schindler takes on Michael Smith – Hopp against Merk, Pietreczko against Wenig

Players Championship 33: Martin Schindler faces Michael Smith in the last 128. Plus two all-German ties – Hopp against Merk, Pietreczko against Wenig.

The Players Championship 33 goes into the last 128 with 128 players. England provides the largest contingent with 47 starters, followed by the Netherlands with 21 and Germany with eleven. The field includes Michael van Gerwen, Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Beau Greaves, among others.

The German draw: two all-German duels

Twice the draw puts German starters up against each other: Max Hopp faces Arno Merk, Ricardo Pietreczko faces Lukas Wenig. The full overview for the players from Germany, Austria and Switzerland:

Schindler against Michael Smith

• Martin Schindler – Michael Smith: after the draw, Schindler is the only German starter with an English opponent in the opening round – with 47 Englishmen in the field.

Four Germans, two places in the next round

The two internal ties cost the German camp two starters before the last 64 even begins: Hopp – Merk and Pietreczko – Wenig send two players through and two out. The remaining draws bring well-known names: Leon Weber takes on Gary Anderson, Marvin Kraft meets Thibault Tricole, Gabriel Clemens faces Karel Sedlacek. From Austria, Mensur Suljovic (against Kevin Doets) and Rusty-Jake Rodriguez (against Brendan Dolan) are in action, and for Switzerland Stefan Bellmont is at the board against Derek Coulson. Outside the German-speaking ties, too, the draw brings together early what usually comes later:

• Beau Greaves – Peter Wright
• Joe Hunt – Dimitri Van den Bergh
• Michael van Gerwen – Martin Lukeman
• Gerwyn Price – Ryan Meikle

All matches in the last 128