PDC World Darts Championship, 2020/21: Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson win in the semifinal on Saturday | Darts News

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Gary Anderson will face Gerwyn Price in the World Darts Championship final

Gerwyn Price will face Gary Anderson in a mouth-watering World Darts Championship final on Sunday night after the pair made it through thrilling semi-finals at Alexandra Palace.

Just over two years after their explosive clash in the Grand Slam of Darts final, the pair will face off in North London for the right to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy and collect the £ 500,000 first prize.

Also on the line for Price is the world’s number one ranking, if he claims the title, after he fought back 3-1 and 4-3 to beat Stephen Bunting 6-4 in an unprecedented contest that saw the pair. share a tournament record of 13 triple-figure finals.

As Price advanced to his first World Championship final, 2015 and 2016 champion Anderson reached his fifth after a 6-3 win over Dave Chisnall, who failed to reach the heights of his spectacular triumph over Michael van Gerwen on Friday for the night.

In a year in which Price has won more titles than anyone else, he may claim the biggest title of all, but a resurgent Anderson will be determined to make history for himself and become the first Scotsman to claim three titles and the ninth man. to become a three-time world champion.

Price defends himself to deny Bunting

Price had vowed to be better than in his first World Championship semi-final last year, and he kept his word by beating Bunting in an unprecedented thriller.

‘The Iceman’ had averaged 89 in a 6-3 loss to eventual champion Peter Wright 12 months ago, but produced a classy performance and displayed his fighting qualities in spectacular competition over two gripping hours.

Price shot in eight finals out of 100 to set an individual tournament record, surpassing Phil Taylor’s mark of seven and appropriately shot in one in each of the last two sets to finally end Bunting’s hopes of become the fourth player to win both. PDC and BDO world titles.

Price brought out the best of a high-class opening set, challenging 120 and 117 finishes on 15-dart legs from Bunting to average 105 himself with a 109 finish as the highlight.

The Welshman had lost the first set of last year’s semi-final, but looked to be heading two sets right this time when a 140-point finish capped a spectacular start in the second. However, prepared on a double top, The Iceman saw Bunting take out 82 to start a comeback that saw him level the game.

Surprisingly, a fifth out of 100+ in 11 stages gave Price the early lead. But Bunting withstood the 116 finish to continue his own staggering finishing stats, clearing 81 on the bullseye and then serving 76 for a 12-dart leg that sealed the third set and a 2-1 lead.

The pair traded two more grand finals, 136 for Bunting and 131 for Price, to make seven grand finals out of 14 games played. The big starts slowed down, but it was ‘The Bullet’ who held his nerve for a two-set lead when he pulled out the next two stages.

Having averaged 101 in the fourth-set loss, Price displayed all the qualities that have led him to eight titles this year, more than anyone else, to work his way into the fifth set with an average of 93 when Bunting’s doubles began to disappoint him. .

“Facing myself and Stephen pulling out everything in that game, it’s the best I’ve played in this tournament and I needed it.

He punished me every time I made a slip. I was 3-1 down and kicking myself, I was 4-3 down and kicking me, but I sank there.

I think in two sets I was on two legs in both sets and I bombed them, but that’s the kind that Stephen showed.

It was a tough and tough game. ”

Gerwyn Price on his win over Stephen Bunting

The Iceman went ahead and leveled the competition in three sets, all with a fifth three-figure out and a sixth in a row as he moved to a 2-0 lead in the seventh set. Bunting was not staggered and refused to budge when he pulled out 148 and 118 himself on his way to challenge two failed darts from the world No. 3, and it was the St. Helens man who placed two of the six required.

But Price returned, averaging 113 for the eighth set and level competition, posting double-10s for the 10th time in 10 attempts for 4-4.

With the best-of-11 match effectively now a best-of-three-set match, Price raced to the finish line, winning six of the last seven matches to advance to her first Ally Pally final.

Two more three-figure finishes helped him set the new World Championship record, 112 en route to a 5-4 lead and 103 en route to the 10th set of a remarkable match.

Anderson too good for Chisnall

Anderson has proven to be the nemesis of the Chisnall World Championship on more than one occasion. For the third time on the Ally Pally stage, the Scotsman put an end to the English campaign.

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Gary Anderson was disappointed in his performance in the semifinals and feels he needs to play better if he wants to win his third World Darts Championship.

Two-time champion Anderson had won the quarterfinals between the pair in 2017 and 2019 and would emerge victorious again when ‘Chizzy’ fell short in his quest for a major first television title, despite sharing 26,180.

With Anderson claiming a 124 finish during the first set, and the pair having watched as Bunting and Price shared 13 starts, Chisnall joined the party in the opening leg of the second, reeling in the highest finish possible as he covered the bullseye for a output 170.

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Dave Chisnall needed to be in his prime to keep in touch with Anderson and a brilliant 170 was one of the big four results.

Despite six missed darts for the set, Chizzy held on to Anderson’s 2-0 comeback to win the decisive leg of the second set and the match was all drawn.

But Anderson was a man in control and the two-time champion has a formidable semi-final record, having won four of his previous five contests at this stage of the event, and took over with a graceful 11-dart leg on his way to. a 2-1 lead.

‘The Flying Scotsman’ continued to exercise his authority, keeping a wandering Chisnall at bay during the fourth set as he moved to the middle of the required six-set goal.

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Anderson did enough to keep Chisnall at bay, pulling out the all-important big finishes when he needed to.

Chizzy may have struggled with her stuntmen, but the bullseye was proving to be her friend. A graceful finish of 124 helped him cut the deficit in half when he claimed the fifth set and when Anderson missed a dart at double 11 for the sixth, Chisnall had a chance to level the match.

However, with 84 needed, he not only failed to handle a dart on a double, but he broke his score and Anderson cleaned up to reestablish the two-set lead. As he had throughout, Chisnall continued to fight and forged a two-legged lead in the seventh set only for Anderson to serve 116. But Chisnall managed to nail a double top to stay within contact distance.

That was as good for the eighth seed though, as Anderson won the last six stages to cross the finish line – a pair of 13-dart legs in the final set that put a class stamp on his win and another. World Championship. final.

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