Former champions Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson secured their places in the third round of the World Darts Championship, but sixth seed Danny Knoppert was eliminated in the final at Alexandra Palace.
Van Gerwen was not a shadow of his best in the opening match of the tournament against Mitsuhiko Tasunami, but he improved significantly against William O’Connor, averaging 100.20 points in a 3-1 victory over the Irishman at Alexandra Palace.
The former world No. 1 won the first two sets and responded with O’Connor winning the third, starting the next set with back-to-back ton-plus finishes before scoring a shutout victory to clinch a third-round set against German debutant Arno Merk.
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Michael van Gerwen checked out 121 and 127 in successive legs en route to a win at Alexandra Palace
Fellow Dutchman Knoppert was eliminated in a sudden-death leg by England’s Justin Hood, making him the highest-ranked player to be eliminated in this year’s tournament, losing in the second round for the third year in a row.
Anderson recovered from a set down to beat Connor Scutt 3-1, while No. 11 seed Josh Lock easily cruised through to the final match before the Christmas break with a straight-sets victory over Australia’s Joe Comito.
O’Connor was unable to sway Van Gerwen
Van Gerwen finished runner-up to Luke Littler last year and has reached three finals since last lifting the world title in 2019, with the Dutchman looking to bounce back from a disappointing season with a fourth Sid Waddell Trophy win.
After a slow start and a set dart, he rallied for an 89 finish after a 12-dart break to take the first set into a pinch, then raced through the second set on straight legs to take control.
O’Connor raised hopes of a comeback after finishing on 98 and breaking Van Gerwen in the next leg to win the set, but they were quickly dashed as Van Gerwen held on for a 121 finish en route to victory, taking a 127 checkout at the bullseye.
“I think we played well,” Van Gerwen said after the win. “I was sharp and I was ready today. I think that’s what I want to show myself and others, that I can do more.”
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Michael van Gerwen says the time has come for Peter Wright to retire following his defeat in the second round of the World Darts Championship.
“I worked pretty hard in this match and I think I can do more damage from now on. I think everything went well and everything was in place. But of course there was still room for improvement.”
Knoppert loses in epic before Anderson survives the scare
In the opening match of the night, Hood won a tight opening set with each leg completed with 15 darts or legs, then fired seven perfect darts in one leg on his way to doubling his lead over the Dutchman.
The Englishman missed a match dart at the bullseye and won in straight sets, but Knoppert fought back and won the next two to take the match to a decider. Hood survived his own match dart as the match went into overtime.
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Justin Hood jokes about facing Luke Littler in the World Darts Championship final after his second-round win over sixth seed Danny Knoppert
After surviving the darts in the third game, Knoppert shot a 157 to extend the match and then hit a checkout of 127 in the bullseye to force sudden death. There, Hood held his throw for an impressive victory and booked a three-round matchup with Ryan Meikle.
“It was a good game, I knew it would be!” Hood told Sky Sports. “He (Knoppert) is a first-class player. I gave him a chance and they took it away, but I won, that’s all that matters.”
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Danny Knoppert extends final set against Justin Hood with 157 finish
Anderson dropped the first set against Scutt, struggled in the outer ring and was in danger of becoming another high-profile exit, but he showed significant improvement with the come-from-behind victory.
The two-time world champion delivered an impressive performance with nine 180’s, the second-highest average of the tournament at 105.41, and a 90-point checkout at the bullseye.
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Gary Anderson wins 3-1 over Connor Scutt in the second round of the World Darts Championship
“The doubles was a little shaky at first,” said Anderson, who will face Jermaine Wattimena in the third round. “Scoring continued, and in the end we decided on doubles. It’s okay! We’re heading towards our goal. It’s not completely put together yet.”
Seventeen of the 32 seeds were eliminated before Christmas, but Lock avoided joining that list by dropping just two legs and averaging 101.33 points in a 3-0 win over Comito.
Wright crashes, Gurney leaves early
Two-time champion Peter Wright was tipped by Merc in the final race of the afternoon session, losing in straight sets in a one-sided battle averaging less than 80 and winning just two legs.
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Arno Merk defeated Peter Wright in the second round of the World Championship
The other three matches all came down to deciding sets, with Suffolk’s Ryan Meikle coming back from two sets to defeat Jonny Tata 3-2, and Wattimena averaging 96 points and hitting five 180s to beat Scott Williams by the same score.
In another thrilling Ally Pally match, Karan Liz defeated Darryl Gurney 3-2 in a late-game blowout in the final set, with Liz hitting eight maximum shots and two 167 checkouts to earn a spot in the third round against The Rock.
What’s next?
The World Darts Championship will have a three-day break over the Christmas period, and the tournament will resume this weekend on Saturday, kicking off the third round with a double session at 12.30pm and 7pm.
The schedule for the third round will be determined on Wednesday.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407) until January 3rd. Stream darts and other top sports now.
