Michael van Gerwen can take a step closer to yet another World Darts Championship final by overcoming Callan Rydz on New Year’s Day. ‘Mighty Mike’ continued his march towards what would be a 4th world title by producing his best display in this year’s competition with a 4-2 win over Jeffrey De Graaf. The number 3 seed averaged almost 102 to set up a quarter-final clash with Rydz.

While ‘The Riot’ has put in a string of impressive displays to reach the last 8 for the 2nd time in his career, a tungsten tussle with van Gerwen will be his toughest test of the tournament so far. Rydz was pushed all the way by Robert Owen in round 4, so derailing the ‘Green Machine’ could be a bridge too far for the Geordie thrower.

After hitting multiple 100+ finishes against De Graaf, look for van Gerwen to repeat the trick against Rydz. The Dutchman delivered a 118 and 126 finish during his round 4 success, and he should be presented with plenty of opportunities for 3-figure outshots now that it’s a race to 5 sets. MVG also hit 100+ finishes during his wins over James Hurrell and Brendan Dolan.