Ladbrokes World Championship Day 13

VAN GERWEN EDGES ANDERSON IN CLASSIC AS LEWIS & WADE SET UP QUARTER-FINAL DATE

 

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN produced a stunning comeback from 3-1 down against Gary Anderson to claim a narrow victory in their Ladbrokes World Championship third round clash on Saturday, as Adrian Lewis and James Wade set up a tasty quarter-final at Alexandra Palace.

Dutch star van Gerwen, last year's runner-up at Ally Pally and the joint favourite to take home the Sid Waddell Trophy on New Year's Day, looked set to crash out in the last 16 as Anderson produced his best darts of the tournament.

The Scot, who had reached the 2011 final, was at his heavy-scoring best as he hit nine 180s in taking three of the game's opening four sets to move to the brink of a quarter-final spot.

Anderson edged the first after van Gerwen had missed three darts to win the set, and though the Dutchman levelled by taking the second in a decider, the former Premier League champion claimed the third without reply before winning the fourth 3-2.

Van Gerwen produced his best spell of the game to hit back in set five, taking the set 3-2 with winning legs of 12, 11 and 13 darts to pull back a set.

Anderson then led 2-1 in the sixth as he moved a leg away from victory, only to see van Gerwen finish a 13-darter to level before taking out a key 66 for the set in the decider, with the Scot waiting on a finish in both legs.

The pair traded 180s as van Gerwen opened the final set with a 13-darter and though Anderson hit a 12th maximum of the game to level, van Gerwen held throw on double nine before finishing another 13-darter on double eight to complete his fightback.

"To be 3-1 behind and come back to win feels fantastic," said van Gerwen, who ended the game with a 100.20 average.

"When I was 3-1 down I thought, in my opinion, that it shouldn't have been 3-1 because I missed three darts to win the first set and two darts to win the fourth set.

"I knew I had to put on my A-game otherwise this World Championship would be gone, and I played really well after that and deserved to win the game. You always need a test and now I know what I can do."

Anderson admitted: "I should have had the game wrapped up earlier but I've given him the game. I could have had that wrapped up 4-0 but I made a few mistakes and Michael took out some checkouts when he needed it.

"I've been playing well for the last few months and I played well here, but I'm losing games that I shouldn't be losing and giving games away by making silly mistakes at silly times."

Earlier in the afternoon, two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis booked his place in the last eight with a 4-1 win over Mervyn King in a clinical display.

Lewis won two of the game's first three sets without reply as he took a 3-0 advantage before King edged the fourth 3-1.

King also led 1-0 in the fifth as he threatened a comeback, but Lewis followed a 180 with a superb 115 finish to rock the Norfolk thrower, before taking the next two legs to complete the win.

"If it wasn't for my finishing being as good as it was, I'd have probaby lost 4-1," said Lewis. "My scoring wasn't very good, but if you're going to win a tournament sometimes you have a dodgy game, and that was mine.

"I took out the right shots at the right times. When Mervyn started his comeback, I took out the 115 and it was a big shot - you've got to keep your opponent under pressure and I got the job done in the end.

"I've got to score a little bit better than I did today but I know my finishing's fantastic, and if I bring my A-game then I've got a great chance of winning this.

"I'm the only player left in who's won this title before, so that gives me a bit of added confidence because I know what to do."

Lewis now faces number six seed James Wade in the quarter-finals, after the three-time semi-finalist swept aside South African number one Devon Petersen.

Wade had seen Darren Webster and Andy Smith miss match darts in his opening two rounds, but was never in the same position as he averaged almost 100 and finished over 50 percent of his chances at doubles against the qualifier.

After winning the game's first set in a deciding leg, Wade won the next two by a 3-1 margin to take control, before coming from a leg down in the fourth to win a deciding leg and claim his spot in Sunday's quarter-finals.

"I don't believe the scoreline reflected the game but Devon missed a few shots and I'll take it," said Wade.

"My finishing was good but it's still ten to 15 below what I can do. I was averaging 100 for most of the game but I've got two more gears on top of that, and other big players need to realise that.

"I've always been a player who needs to be pushed or needs to be put into a corner to come out fighting - I'd love to be able to go up there and average 105 or 106 every time, but that's not me unfortunately!"

The quarter-finals begin on Saturday night with the two games from the top half of the draw, as number eight seed Wes Newton takes on Peter Wright and world number four Simon Whitlock plays Ian White.

GET INVOLVED
Join in the conversation online during the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with the PDC's Social Media channels:
www.twitter.com/OfficialPDC - using the tournament hashtag #LadbrokesDarts
www.facebook.com/OfficialPDC
www.youtube.com/OfficialPDC

WATCH LIVE
Coverage of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship will be live through the following broadcasters
Sky Sports HD - UK & Ireland, plus Semi-Finals & Final in 3D!
RTL7 - Netherlands
Sport1 - Germany
OSN - Middle East
Fox Sports - Australia
Sky New Zealand
Fox Sports - Italy
Sport1 - Hungary, Czech Republic & Slovakia
PLUS every session is live through LIVEPDC.TV for International Pass Subscribers (outside of UK, Ireland & Holland), with highlights available for all subscribers worldwide on a 24-hour delay.

LIVE SCORES
If you can't watch the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, follow the latest scores at the PDC Live Scores Website - http://live.dartsdata.com

EVENT PROGRAMME
The Ladbrokes World Darts Championship programme is available from the official PDC Merchandise Stand in the Fans Village at Alexandra Palace, costing £5.
The programme will also be available to purchase online through the official PDC Merchandise website - www.burghleydarts.com .
In addition in a new development for the 2014 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, fans can buy an online copy of the programme - click here to buy & read online .

Ladbrokes World Darts Championship
Saturday December 28
Afternoon Session
Third Round
Adrian Lewis 4-1 Mervyn King
James Wade 4-0 Devon Petersen
Michael van Gerwen 4-3 Gary Anderson

Evening Session (7pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Peter Wright v Wes Newton
Ian White v Simon Whitlock
Best of nine sets

MATCH INFORMATION
ADRIAN LEWIS 4-1 MERVYN KING
(3-0, 3-2, 3-0, 1-3, 3-1)
ADRIAN LEWIS booked his place in the quarter-finals of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a 4-1 victory over Mervyn King at Alexandra Palace.

Lewis won nine of the game's first 11 legs to establish a 3-0 lead, and despite a brief revival from King to take the fourth set, the two-time World Champion ended matters in the fifth.

“I certainly didn’t reach the standards of my last game but my finishing was good once again,” said Lewis, who has reached the last eight of this competition for a fifth consecutive year.

“Mervyn was on a little bit of a roll at one stage and the 115 finish I managed to take out in the fifth set stopped him in his tracks, and got me through.

"There are a lot of good names still left in this event, but I’m the only one who has got to a final and crossed the finishing line twice.”

Lewis started the better of the two players as he won the first set without reply, before edging the second in a deciding leg on double top after King wasted three opportunities to level the match.

The two-time World Champion won the third set in three successive legs to leave King with a huge mountain to climb, before the number 14 seed claimed the fourth 3-1 to reduce the gap, sealing the set with a 74 finish.

King won the first leg of the fifth set, but was left waiting on 40 in the second as Lewis produced a killer blow, following a 180 with a 115 finish to level before taking the next two legs to confirm his place in the last eight.

Adrian Lewis Video Interview

Match Information
First Set
1-0 - Lewis starts well by holding throw with a two-dart 97 finish.
2-0 - The world number three misses three chances to break throw, only for King to miss five shots at doubles to allow his opponent back in on double top.
3-0 - King misses one dart at tops for a 120 finish, and Lewis takes out 65 to wrap up the set quickly.

Second Set
0-1 - King wins his first leg of the game with a 76 finish.
1-1 - Lewis draws level thanks to an accurate dart at double six.
1-2 - King hits double 18 for an excellent 116 finish.
2-2 - Lewis fires in a maximum before taking out 68 to force a deciding leg.
3-2 - King throws and first and looks on course to to take the set, but three missed darts from the Norfolk ace prove expensive as Lewis hits double top at the first attempt to claim the set.

Third Set
1-0 - King kicks off the leg with two 140s but Lewis holds throw on double ten.
2-0 - Lewis converts a showpiece 100 finish with two double tops.
3-0 - Lewis hits double top to win the set, and leave King with a mountain to climb.

Fourth Set
0-1 - Lewis makes a rare slip with three missed darts at doubles, allowing King to hold throw on double 16.
1-1 - King misses double top for a 114 finish, and Lewis hits the same double at the first attempt to draw level.
1-2 - King hits consecutive 180s before landing double 16, after Lewis had missed the same double for a 146 checkout.
1-3 - The former World Masters winner hits double top for a 74 finish to reduce the deficit.

Fifth Set
0-1 - King continues the momentum of the previous set as he breaks of throw on double top, defying a 180 from his opponent.
1-1 - Lewis hits a third 180 before taking out a 115 finish, with King waiting on 40.
2-1 - Lewis takes out a clinical two-dart 76 finish to move a leg away from victory.
3-1 - The two-time World Champion leaves 68 after 12 darts, but a missed dart at tops gives King hope. However, the 2009 semi-finalist is unable to set up a shot at double for a 96 finish, and Lewis returns to hit double ten and seal the win.

Match Stats

JAMES WADE 4-0 DEVON PETERSEN
(3-2, 3-1, 3-1, 3-2)
JAMES WADE ended Devon Petersen’s brilliant run at the 2014 Ladbrokes World Darts Championship with a 4-0 victory in the third round on Saturday afternoon.

The seven-time major champion, who survived missed match darts from his opponents his opening two games against Darren Webster and Andy Smith, enjoyed a far easier passage through to the last eight against the 27-year-old South African.

“That wasn’t as easy as the 4-0 scoreline suggests and I’m just glad to get past Devon, who is very dangerous on his day,” said Wade, who will now face Adrian Lewis in the quarter-finals in a repeat of their dramatic 2012 semi-final.

“My scoring was a bit better as the 99 plus average shows, but it will need to improve a lot more if I’m going to progress further.”

The players shared the opening two legs of the game before Wade edged ahead on double four, only for Petersen to take the fourth leg with a 121 checkout.

Wade then won the set in the deciding leg by converting a two-dart 68 finish, before establish a 2-0 lead to take command of the second.

Petersen hit a 102 finish to win the third leg, before the world number six claimed the set by taking out an 87 finish on double top.

The opening two legs of set three were shared before Wade recorded a 15-darter to win the third leg, and he then won the set on double seven after Petersen missed one dart at double 16 to hit back.

The fourth set saw the first two legs shared before Wade took out an excellent 121 checkout on the bullseye to win the third leg, only to then fail to close out the game in the fourth, as a missed dart at double top saw Petersen take the leg on double ten to stay in the game.

The deciding leg, though, saw the three-time semi-finalist hit a seventh 180 to leave 24, which he took out on double six to ease through to the last eight.

James Wade Video Interview

Match Information
First Set
1-0 - Wade hits a 180 in the opening leg before taking out 58 on his favourite double ten.
1-1 - Petersen hits double 16 at the first attempt to draw level.
2-1 - Wade lands double four to regain the lead, in a leg which featured another 180 from the Aldershot ace.
2-2 - Petersen starts the leg with a maximum before Wade hits a 180 of his own, before the South African takes the leg with an excellent 121 checkout, ending on double 18.
3-2 - Wade hits double ten to convert a two-dart 68 finish to win a high-quality set.

Second Set
1-0 - Petersen wastes four opportunities to hold throw and - after initially missing three chances of his own - Wade hits double ten.
2-0 - Wade hits double top to complete a 71 finish.
2-1 - Petersen converts a 102 finish, on double 12, with Wade waiting on a two-darter.
3-1 - Wade hits double top for an 87 finish to establish a two-set lead.

Third Set
1-0 - Wade hits a fifth 180, before punishing three missed doubles across two visits from the South African to take the leg on double four.
1-1 - Petersen hits double four to draw level, after posting his second maximum of the game.
2-1 - Wade regains the lead by landing double top for a solid 15-dart finish.
3-1 - The number six seed misses double 14 for a 148 checkout, but returns to win the set on double seven after Petersen was off-target with one shot at double 16.

Fourth Set
0-1 - Petersen holds throw on double top for an excellent 13-darter.
1-1 - Wade hits a 14-dart finish thanks to accurate attempt at double ten.
2-1 - Wade posts a sixth 180 before winning the leg in style with a 121 checkout on the bullseye.
2-2 - One missed dart at tops from Wade sees Petersen keep the game alive as he hits double ten.
3-2 - Petersen holds the advantage of throw, but a 180 from Wade pushes him to a finish first as he lands double six to close out the game with a 14-darter.

Match Stats

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN 4-3 GARY ANDERSON
(2-3, 3-2, 0-3, 2-3, 3-2, 3-2, 3-1)
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN came from 3-1 down to defeat Gary Anderson 4-3 in a thrilling third round encounter at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship.

The 24-year-old Dutchman appeared to be on his way out of the competition after dropping the fourth set to trail the Scot 3-1, having missed two darts at double eight to level the game in a key set.

Van Gerwen, though, edged the next two sets in deciding legs to force a decider, which he went on to win by a 3-1 scoreline to keep his hopes of a first World Championship title alive.

“I’m delighted with the way I came back to win this really tough game,” said the reigning Premier League Darts champion, who will now play Mark Webster for a place in the last four.

“I was very disappointed not to win the fourth set to level at two-all, but I never lost belief that I couldn’t make a comeback and win.

"It’s a great feeling to be involved in brilliant fast-flowing games like this, and the crowd added to it by making a great atmosphere.”

Both players held throw twice in the first set, which was settled in the deciding leg when Anderson hit double five, after both players had previously missed three opportunities to draw first blood.

Anderson hit an excellent two-dart 100 finish to win the third leg of the second set and lead 2-1, but the Scots missed one chance to win the set in each of the next two legs as van Gerwen hit back to win the decider with a 14-darter.

Anderson regained the lead by taking the third set by a 3-0 margin, and then took the fourth in a dramatic deciding leg on double one, after van Gerwen wasted two chances at double eight to level the match.

The first two legs of set five were shared before van Gerwen hit his second 11-darter of the game to win the third, only for Anderson to take the fourth by completing an 81 finish on the bullseye.

That put Anderson a leg away from victory, but van Gerwen held his nerve to hit double nine to win the set with a 13-darter.

Anderson hit a 13-dart finish of his own to kick off the sixth set, and after dropping the second leg, the Scot recorded 14-darter in the third, which included his tenth 180.

The Dutch ace drew level with a 13-darter, and then took out a pressure 66 finish in the fifth leg, with Anderson waiting on 52 for the match.

That moved the game into a decisive seventh set, where van Gerwen drew first blood with a 13-darter, before Anderson took the second with a solid 15-dart finish.

Van Gerwen hit double nine to win the third leg, before hitting a brilliant 174 in the next leg to leave double eight, which he hit at the first attempt to conclude an enthralling match.

After the match Anderson, who hit 12 maximums in defeat, admitted: “I’ve let Michael off today. At 3-1 up, I should have got the job done.

“Winning that tight fourth set to go 3-1 up felt really big, but my scoring dropped slightly at the business end of sets and you can’t really afford to do against a player of Michael’s class.

"The crowd gave me fantastic support today and it added to a great game. I’m just really gutted that I’ve not got the chance to play in front of another big audience tomorrow night.”

Michael van Gerwen Video Interview

Match Information
FIrst Set
1-0 - van Gerwen misses double 19 for a 118 finish, but returns to hit double eight at the first attempt.
1-1 - Anderson hits the first 180 of the game, before going on to win the leg on double ten.
2-1 - van Gerwen starts the leg brilliantly with scores of 134 and 180 but misses five chances to win the leg. Anderson, though, is no position to capitalise, and the Dutchman returns to hit double two.
2-2 - Anderson hits double top at the third attempt to force a deciding leg.
2-3 - The Scot hits a brace of 140 scores to leave 40 after 12 darts, but wastes three opportunites to win the set, only to return and punish three misses from van Gerwen by hitting double five.

Second Set
0-1 - Anderson hits a second 180 before landing double top for a 14-darter.
1-1 - The Scot hits another 180, only for van Gerwen to take out an excellent 126 checkout.
1-2 - van Gerwen hits a maximum, but a missed dart at tops for a 111 finish proves expensive as Anderson takes out 100 in two darts.
2-2 - Anderson misses a dart at the bullseye to win the set, and van Gerwen converts a pressure 66 finish on double 18.
3-2 - van Gerwen lands double top for a 14-darter, after Anderson misses a second chance to win the set, on double top.

Third Set
0-1 - Anderson starts the set well as he breaks van Gerwen's throw on double two.
0-2 - The 2011 runner-up extends his lead by taking out 96 on double 18.
0-3 - Both players miss one chance to win the leg before Anderson closes out the set, thanks to an accurate third dart at double eight.

Fourth Set
0-1 - Anderson wins a fourth leg in a row thanks to a two-dart 70 finish.
1-1 - Three maximums are recorded in the leg - two from Anderson - but van Gerwen wins the leg on double 16 with a fanastic 11-darter.
1-2 - Anderson holds throw with a 14-darter, completed on double top.
2-2 - Anderson posts a seventh 180, but a missed dart at double top for a 3-1 lead proves costly as van Gerwen hits the same bed to force a deciding leg.
2-3 - van Gerwen misses two darts at double eight to level the contest, and Anderson hits double one with a pressure third dart to move two sets clear.

Fifth Set
1-0 - van Gerwen holds throw with a clinical 82 finish.
1-1 - Maximums are hit by both players before Anderson hits double top to complete a 15-dart finish.
2-1 - The Dutchman hits double four to record his second 11-darter of the game.
2-2 - Anderson hits a ninth 180 before taking out an 81 finish on the bullseye.
3-2 - van Gerwen misses double 18 for a 12-darter, but returns to hit double nine at the first attempt and hit back.

Sixth Set
0-1 - Anderson defies a 180 from his opponent as he hits double 14 for a 13-darter to open set six.
1-1 - The world number two hits double ten to hold throw.
1-2 - Anderson hits a tenth 180 to leave 81, which he takes out in two darts to move a leg away from victory for a second time.
2-2 - van Gerwen hits double top for a 13-dart finish to keep his hopes alive.
3-2 - Anderson leaves 52 after 15 -darts, but does not a get shot for the match as van Gerwen takes out 66 in two darts to force a deciding set.

Seventh Set
1-0 - Both players hit a 180 before van Gerwen hits double 12 to win the leg in 13 darts.
1-1 - Anderson hits a 12th maximum before landing double five, with a pressure third dart, to draw level.
2-1 - van Gerwen moves a leg away from victory as he wins the leg on double nine.
3-1 - The Dutch star hits a brilliant 174 to leave 16, and lands double eight at the first attempt to end a thriller.

Match Stats