2020/21 PDC World Darts Championship: Peter Wright Dropped As Michael van Gerwen Advances | Darts News

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Highlights of the afternoon session on day 10 of the World Darts Championship

The PDC World Darts Championship had its highest profile outing after defending champion Peter Wright was defeated on a penalty shoot-out by German Gabriel Clemens.

2018 champion Rob Cross and 2019 runner-up Michael Smith passed away before Christmas, but when the third round began after a three-day break, last year’s champion joined them.

An exciting matchup against 31st seed Clemens ebbed and flowed as Wright fought back 2-0 and 3-2 down, but in the end it was the German who won until the knockout stage when he pinned the double 19 with an unstoppable 14 darts on the decisive leg of the decisive set.

Three-time Michael van Gerwen avoided a similar fate by producing a dazzling display against an inspired Ricky Evans who averaged 101, hit 50 percent of his doubles and shot on six highs, but still suffered a 4-0 loss.

Van Gerwen averaged 107, hit seven 180 and 57 percent of his doubles to follow his 108 second-round average and set a score after the surprising exit of title rival Wright.

Clemens stops Wright to make history

Twelve days after taking the stage on opening night in a Grinch outfit in front of the only fans to attend this year’s tournament, Wright returned to continue his title defense, but it was Clemens who ripped the crown from him. head to champion.

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Gabriel Clemens was left speechless, the German Giant delivers the highest result of his career beating Peter Wright 4-3

High-quality competition followed the path of Clemens, who became the first German to reach the round of 16 and will play Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski for a place in the quarter-finals.

In the end, Snakebite’s double disappointed him despite a nearly flawless opening set that saw the world No. 2 struggle from losing the first leg to hit the outer ring, than on each of his next three attempts at a double to claim. the first set with an average of 102.

However, Clemens was undaunted and improved that average by five points to level the game by winning three of the next four stages and was one better with three on the rebound to take the third set and lead the champion.

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Gabriel Clemens hits back with a thunderous 144 out

A missed dart on Wright’s double gave Clemens a breakout opportunity that the ‘German Giant’ took through an 81 clinical check-out. The 31st seed took his career eight of nine stages before losing two in the fourth set when Snakebite stopped the rot and then showed all the class of a champion.

A brilliant 98 restored parity in the fourth set and a graceful check-out of 120 leveled the match to two sets each. Wright served a fourth and fifth span in succession before Clemens hit the front again. A finish of 144 followed by a clinical 84, after Wright hit the bull’s-eye for the set, brought the fifth set to a decider where the German’s cheeky 126 check-out gave him a 3-2 lead.

Snakebite ran to sixth in just 41 darts to send the match into the distance and a best of seven sets match was effectively reduced to a best of three and then to a decider in the final stretch where Clemens closed out the historic victory and dethroned. to the champion.

Relentless Van Gerwen accelerates Rapid Ricky

After spending Christmas in London in the company of Vincent van der Voort and Dirk van Duijvenbode, Van Gerwen was forced to wait a bit longer after the night’s drama, but a 4-0 win over Evans brought him to the round of 16. at the end, where he will face Joe Cullen.

After Wright’s departure, the Dutchman knew that a victory would end Snakebite’s threat in the battle to be number one in the world, but Gerwyn Price will have designs on that too, in addition to his own world maiden title dreams.

In a rapid fire competition between two of the game’s fastest pitchers, it took Van Gerwen just six minutes to claim the lead and doubled his lead despite Evans’ best efforts.

Rapid Ricky fired a brilliant leg to break the Dutchman for a 2-1 lead, but Van Gerwen produced near perfection to shoot first on a superb 150 check-out and then a fiery 11-dart leg that put him in two sets for good.

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Stunning ending by Michael van Gerwen with a box of 150.

Only once in the last eight MvG tournaments did he fail to reach the last four and another 11 darts led him to another shuttle in the third set. Evans came back again when the third set was decisive again, but it was the Dutchman who went to a set.

Fittingly, the fourth set went the distance again, which was attributed to Evans’ performance as well as Van Gerwen’s brilliance. The Dutchman sealed a return to the round of 16 with a 13-dart throw to maintain his excellent tournament record.

Only once in the last eight MvG tournaments has he failed to make it to the last four, and his first two performances have underscored his desire to go the distance again.

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Watch Michael Van Gerwen come out with a 10-dart finish

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Michael Van Gerwen was excited after his impressive performance.

Cullen beats Clayton in a classic

In his previous 10 appearances at the World Darts Championship Joe cullen He has never made it past the third round but is advancing to a showdown with Van Gerwen after a 4-3 win over his good friend Jonny Clayton.

The pair shared 13 highs of 180s and eight huge three-figure finishes with Cullen sealing victory in a decider last-leg match thanks to a brilliant check-out of 100 courtesy of two flybys with Clayton waiting 40 for the match.

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Joe Cullen walked away with a 100 as he advanced in a war of attrition with his good friend Jonny Clayton

A seesaw starter set the tone for the match, Cullen pinched in a deciding match of the fifth stage after Clayton had missed two for a 1-0 lead in the fourth stage. Cullen’s response was to shoot a brilliant 12-dart leg, finishing 180-103 to take the initial lead.

The Rock Star punished more missed darts from The Ferret to start second and did it five legs on the rebound with a clinical 68 and while Clayton stopped the rot, it was Cullen who claimed the set when he cleared 72 for a 2-0. lead.

Clayton swept the third set with his best darts of the match at half the deficit – late 106 and 114 that gave the Welshman hope to improve on his best World Championship performance.

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A look back at the afternoon session on day 10 of the World Darts Championship

With the pair sharing the first four stages, a decisive decider in the fourth set was Clayton’s path, but only after Cullen had missed two for a 3-1 lead, instead, the match was all drawn.

Clayton punished three more missed darts on a Cullen double to lead for the first time since the third leg of the game and turned that into a 3-2 set lead with a brilliant 13-dart leg.

Cullen struck back to claim the sixth set and lead the competition to a deciding set and, despite Clayton taking a 2-0 lead, Cullen struck back to take the match to a penalty shootout in the fifth stage, where English prevailed.

Dreammaker dazzles, whitewashed Whitlock

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A look at the afternoon session on day 10 of the World Darts Championship

Krzysztof Ratajski and Ryan Searle and Dimitri Van den Bergh advanced to the round of 16 of the World Darts Championship after impressive victories on Sunday afternoon.

After the Christmas sabbatical, 32 players remained in pursuit of the Sid Waddell Trophy. That number dropped to 29, after Ratajski, Searle and Van den Bergh edged out Simon Whitlock, Kim Huybrechts and Jermaine Wattimena respectively.

You won’t miss a dart thanks to the dedicated Sky Sports darts channel until January 4 with each session of the World Darts Championship, including the final on Sunday January 3. Check out the daily Darts news at skysports.com/darts, our mobile app and our Twitter account. @sportsdarts