Darts
PA Sport 6y

Michael van Gerwen moves into World Championship quarterfinals

Darts

Defending champion Michael van Gerwen survived a scare to book his place in the quarter-finals of the William Hill PDC World Championship.

Van Gerwen defeated Gerwyn Price 4-2 at Alexandra Palace -- but the top seed did not have things all his own way against his Welsh opponent.

The Dutchman won the first two sets before Price, the tournament's 16th seed, impressively fought back.

After winning the third set, Price, 32, took the first leg of the fourth set against the darts, held his own throw, then found double 10 to level the contest.

However, the Welshman squandered a chance to take the first leg of the fifth set against the darts, before missing four darts at double top which would have put him a set from victory.

It proved costly as van Gerwen went 3-2 up and finished off his opponent in the sixth set with double seven.

He will play Raymond van Barneveld in the last eight and told Sky Sports Main Event afterwards: "I will have to play better against Raymond than I did in this game, simple as that."

2007 champion van Barneveld reached the last eight with a 4-1 victory over another Dutchman, Vincent van der Voort.

Van der Voort started impressively, with a 156 checkout giving him the first leg against the darts, however that was about as good as it got for the 42-year-old.

Van Barneveld won the next three legs to take the first set and although van der Voort tied the match at one set apiece, van Barneveld took control and wrapped up the next three sets and the win.

Earlier, Jamie Lewis produced a stunning display to reach the third round at the expense of second seed Peter Wright -- winning a high quality contest 4-1.

Wright won the opening set against the darts but his Welsh opponent took the second with three 12-dart legs, an average of almost 120 and two bullseye finishes.

Lewis edged the third set and shortly after producing his 12th of 13 maximums, in a game where Wright himself managed eight, nailed a checkout of 121 to move to within one set of victory.

Wright gave himself hope by breaking his opponent in the third leg of the fourth set -- but he wasted four darts to square the match and Lewis won the next leg to seal a deserved success.

Lewis, 26, will face James Richardson for a place in the quarterfinals, after Richardson defeated fellow Englishman Alan Norris 4-1.

There were also 4-1 second round victories for England's Darren Webster and Spain's Toni Alcinas against Australia's Simon Whitlock and Germany's Kevin Munch respectively.

^ Back to Top ^