PHIL TAYLOR 6-0 DENNIS SMITH
(3-1, 3-1, 3-1, 3-0, 3-1, 3-1)
Sky Bet World Grand Prix Semi-Final
PHIL TAYLOR powered into the final of the Sky Bet World Grand Prix with a 6-0 whitewash of Dennis Smith.
The five-time champion of the event will now take on Colin Lloyd in Sunday's final, and enters that showdown having not dropped a set throughout the tournament.
He was never troubled by Smith during their semi, with the tone being set in the opening leg when the latter failed to hit the double-start before Taylor checked out.
Taylor wrapped up the first set with a 147 checkout and took the next two 3-1.
He then proved deadly around the treble twenty, taking the fourth set without reply before Smith landed a 141 finish in vain during the fifth.
Smith also checked out 101 in the next, but Taylor was already 2-0 up by that point and he wasted little time in completing the win with a fifth 100-plus finish of his own in the game.
"Dennis seemed to struggle getting in at first and I wanted to put him under pressure early doors," said Taylor.
"I think he started thinking about it then and I started to relax because I felt a bit under pressure early on.
"I've been playing quite consistently so far. In the first set of my first match against Joe Collins I had a scare, but that gave me a kick up the backside and I've not looked back since.
"When you get through to the final you've done the hard work and you can enjoy it.
"Colin's going to play well but I'm going to go out there and enjoy it, he'll have a tough game on his hands."
Match Stats
|
Phil Taylor |
6-0 |
Dennis Smith |
|
28 |
100+ |
31 |
|
20 |
140+ |
14 |
|
8 |
180 |
1 |
|
31.64 |
Ave1 |
24.48 |
|
94.93 |
Ave3 |
73.44 |