After 4 days of play, it is clear which 8 players have advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Grand Prix. It is a delightful mix of favorites, with a few surprises.
On Thursday, the second round of the Grand Prix was completed, which means we now know which players will have the chance to win the title. The evening started with Mike De Decker surprisingly eliminating Gary Anderson with a clear 3-0. De Decker was impressed greatly on stage and looks incredibly confident. During the match against Anderson, it was mainly the finishes that worked well for De Decker. Out of 15 darts, De Decker hit 9, which is 60%, an incredibly strong performance. James Wade won 3-0 in the second match over Gerwyn Price. Price had his chances in the first leg, but when Wade won that set 3-2, the uphill battle became too much for the Iceman.
Joe Cullen took revenge on Daryl Gurney after the loss in the Masters last time. It was Gurney who started the match best, taking a 2-1 lead in sets before Cullen won both the fourth and fifth sets 3-0.
In the final match of the evening, Dimitri Van den Bergh delivered an impressive victory when he defeated Dave Chisnall 3-1. Van den Bergh threw an incredible 7 180s over 17 legs of darts. If Van den Bergh can continue with those numbers, he will be a dangerous contender for the title.
Here are the quarterfinal matchups:
Mick De Decker – James Wade
Rob Cross – Ryan Joyce
Luke Humphries – Jonny Clayton
Joe Cullen – Dimitri Van den Bergh
The quarterfinals will be best of 5 sets.