BIG GUNS MOVE INTO CORAL UK OPEN QUARTER-FINALS
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN and Adrian Lewis remain in the hunt to claim the Coral UK Open title following dominant Fifth Round victories on Saturday night, but giant-killer Aden Kirk's challenge ended with defeat to Brendan Dolan.
World Champion van Gerwen swept into the last eight of the £250,000 tournament at the Butlins Minehead Resort with a 9-4 win over Mark Webster, averaging 100 in a strong performance.
The Dutchman actually trailed 2-0 early on as Webster started brightly, and after being pegged back level the Welsh ace led 3-2 - only for van Gerwen to win the next six legs in devastating fashion, following up back-to-back 13-dart legs with an 11-darter during the run.
Webster hit back in the next on double ten, but missed the bull to continue his fightback as van Gerwen posted double eight to move into the quarter-finals.
"Mark started well but I came back really strongly and I was pleased with that," said van Gerwen, who is the 4/6 favourite with sponsors Coral to lift the title on Sunday.
"I know I'm in form and I'm hitting the right darts when I need to. I've never won this tournament before so that's a big aim for me on Sunday."
Van Gerwen now plays Ian White in the last eight, with the Stoke ace enjoying a 9-7 victory over 2010 finalist Gary Anderson in their Fifth Round encounter.
Two-time World Champion Lewis, meanwhile, stormed into the last eight for a second successive year of the event with a brilliant 9-2 win over Raymond van Barneveld, the 2006 and 2007 UK Open winner.
Lewis won the game's first three legs without reply before van Barneveld hit back in the fourth, but Lewis completed a run of five straight legs with a stunning 154 finish before holding off his opponent's brief rally to progress.
"I had to get into Raymond straight away and I did that," said Lewis. "I kept the pressure on him and did a good job today, and hopefully I can go all the way now on Sunday."
Lewis has been drawn with Mensur Suljovic in the last eight, after the Austrian won through to his first PDC major quarter-final with a 9-5 victory against emerging Welsh youngster Jamie Lewis.
James Wade, another two-time UK Open winner, also exited the event in the Fifth Round as he agonisingly went down 9-8 to Terry Jenkins in a thriller.
Jenkins led 2-0 before Wade, aided by a 101 finish, hit back to level at three-all, only for the Ledbury ace to defy a 136 checkout from the left-hander in winning five of the next seven legs for an 8-5 advantage.
Wade hit back to level and force a decider, but Jenkins was first to a finish as double ten put him into the last eight, where he meets Northern Ireland's Brendan Dolan after the former World Grand Prix finalist ended Aden Kirk's amazing run.
Kirk had knocked out Phil Taylor and Peter Wright in reaching the last 16 on his debut in a major tournament, and again impressed as he shared the opening 14 legs with Dolan, who then landed a pair of 13-dart finishes to claim a 9-7 win.
The other quarter-final will see Kevin Painter face Mervyn King, who won through to that stage in the UK Open for the first time with a 9-6 defeat of Holland's Christian Kist.
Painter, meanwhile, opened up a 7-1 lead over Dean Winstanley in their Fifth Round clash with some superb finishing, and though the Yorkshireman took out 136 and set up a possible nine-darter as he battled back, the 2011 Players Championship Finals winner prevailed 9-5.
The Coral UK Open concludes on Sunday, with the quarter-finals being held in the afternoon session before the semi-finals and final take place in the evening at the Butlins Minehead Resort, live on ITV4.
Follow Live Scores at the PDC Live Scores Website.
Coral UK Open
Outright Odds
4/6 Michael van Gerwen
9/4 Adrian Lewis
14/1 Mervyn King
14/1 Terry Jenkins
16/1 Brendan Dolan
20/1 Kevin Painter
25/1 Ian White
50/1 Mensur Suljovic
Odds courtesy www.coral.co.uk and correct at time of writing.
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2014 Coral UK Open
Saturday March 8
Fifth Round - Best of 17 legs
Main Stage
Brendan Dolan 9-7 Aden Kirk
Terry Jenkins 9-8 James Wade
Michael van Gerwen 9-4 Mark Webster
Adrian Lewis 9-2 Raymond van Barneveld
Stage Two
Mensur Suljovic 9-5 Jamie Lewis
Gary Anderson 7-9 Ian White
Mervyn King 9-6 Christian Kist
Kevin Painter 9-5 Dean Winstanley
Quarter-Finals Order of Play
Kevin Painter v Mervyn King
Terry Jenkins v Brendan Dolan
Adrian Lewis v Mensur Suljovic
Michael van Gerwen v Ian White
Semi-Final draw to be conducted following completion of Quarter-Finals
Match Information
Brendan Dolan ended giant-killer Aden Kirk's brilliant run with a 9-7 Fifth Round triumph. Kirk led 2-1 and 3-2 early on, but missed his chance to move two legs clear in the sixth as Dolan levelled and then moved ahead. The pair continued the game of cat-and-mouse by sharing the next six legs as Dolan moved 7-6 up, before Kirk levelled once more with a fine 108 finish. Dolan, however, landed a 13-darter to regain the edge before repeating the feat in the next to secure the win.
Mensur Suljovic won through to his first major PDC quarter-final with a 9-5 win over Jamie Lewis. The Austrian ace dominated the early stages, leading 2-0 and 5-1 - with Lewis' reply coming courtesy of a 13-darter only for his opponent to hit five 180s in the opening six legs. Lewis hit back with a 12-dart finish and shared the next two before a key 112 finish from Suljovic moved him 7-3 up. He then took the 11th leg to move to the brink of victory, and though Lewis won the next two to stay in the game, Suljovic eventually sealed victory on double one.
Ian White reached a second successive major quarter-final as he defeated Gary Anderson 9-7. The game enjoyed a brilliant start, with White taking out finishes of 130, 116 and 96 for a trio of 12-darters as he led 3-1, with Anderson having taken out 118 to get off the mark. Legs of 13 and 14 darts saw the Scot hit back to level, only for White to win four of the next five legs for a 7-4 cushion, which he extended to four legs with a 14-darter. Anderson won the next three legs to keep alive his hopes as he pulled back to 8-7, but he missed his chance to level as White finished double seven to seal the win.
Terry Jenkins ended James Wade's bid to win a third Coral UK Open title with a narrow 9-8 win over the left-hander. Jenkins made a fine start as he took the opening two legs, only for Wade to hit back to 3-2 before finishing 101 to level in leg six. Jenkins hit two 180s in the seventh and then moved 5-3 up before Wade took out 136, only for Jenkins to win the next two and move 7-4 up. Wade took out 96 to hit back, and after Jenkins won the next to move to the brink of victory the left-hander took three in a row to level, only for the Ledbury ace to finish double ten in claiming the deciding leg.
Mervyn King won through to his first Coral UK Open quarter-final with a 9-6 victory over Christian Kist, whose debut challenge in the event ended in the last 16. After Kist took the opening leg, King finished 121 for a 12-darter to level and - after the next two were shared - took three legs in a row to lead 5-2. Kist replied with a 13-darter, only for King to land double four and a 12-dart finish to move 7-3 up before double one moved him to the brink of victory. Kist fought back by winning the next three legs, but a 180 pushed King ahead in the next as he sealed victory.
World Champion Michael van Gerwen maintained his bid to win another major with a 9-4 win over Mark Webster, hitting a second successive ton-plus average. Webster took the game's opening two legs before van Gerwen levelled with legs of 13 and 12 darts, only for the left-hander to post double ten for a 3-2 cushion. Van Gerwen, though, hit back to level and pulled away with legs of 13, 13 and 11 darts, before tops and double 16 moved him 8-3 up. Webster hit back in the next, but missed the bull to continue his fightback as van Gerwen hit double eight to seal the win.
Kevin Painter saw off Dean Winstanley 9-5 as he moved into the Coral UK Open quarter-finals. Painter made a superb start, finishing double eight in the opening leg before checkouts of 114, 74 and 83 moved him four legs up. Winstanley took out 136 for a 12-darter to get off the mark, only to see his opponent to finish 61, 82 and 66 as he moved 7-1 up. Winstanley landed six perfect darts as two 180s helped him to an 11-darter as he took a second leg, and he won the next two to pull back to 7-4, but after sharing the next two, Painter finally sealed his win on double two.
Adrian Lewis swept past Raymond van Barneveld with a superb 9-2 victory over the two-time Coral UK Open champion. Lewis took out double 16 and tops to win the opening two legs before capitalising on a missed bullseye from the Dutchman to move three legs up. Van Barneveld hit a 180 in a 13-darter to reply, but Lewis won the next four to move 7-1 up before a sensational 154 checkout put the Stoke ace to the brink of victory. Double 14 kept van Barneveld in the game, but his rally was brief as Lewis posted tops to move into the last eight.