The event was blown wide open with the news last night that Michael Van Gerwen has had to withdraw due to testing positive for COVID. The show must go on however and the action continues on Wednesday with another double session. Our darts expert continues with his daily preview.

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Jose De Sousa v Alan Soutar

Somehow the likeable Scot, Alan Soutar is still here after a remarkable comeback victory over Mensur Suljovic who missed eight match darts to advance. Jose De Sousa also staged a comeback from two sets down but it was a rather strange game that. Despite apparently being in trouble you could argue he always looked the more likely winner.

Both will feel relieved to be here and you’d have to imagine ‘The Special One’ as De Sousa is known must looking at this as a real opportunity to kick on now.

De Sousa, winner of the Grand Slam in 2020 and Premier League runner up this year has not quite been in the same form of late as he was early in this campaign and his mammoth 180 hitting ability has dropped to a still excellent standard but much less than we had become accustomed too.

Soots winning this would be a shock to a number of people but he has claimed some notable scalps on his maiden year on tour. In the latter stages of his match, he outscored Mensur but I don’t see him doing that to Jose here. He also wasn’t as convincing as I hoped against Diogo Portela in the opening round. I’m taking De Sousa to come out on top and advance to the Last 16 for the first time.

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Dave Chisnall vs Luke Humphries

This game is a real 50/50 call and one which should be an absolute cracker.

These pair met in the Quarter-Final at the UK Open in March and it was a match in which Humphries came out in top 10-9. It was a pulsating match to watch and a game that featured 14 scores of 171+ in just 19 legs of darts. I suspect we will see another high scoring game as the pace of the game should suit both.

Chisnall destroyed MVG 5-0 in this event last year and arguably looked the player of the tournament and the one most likely to lift the trophy ahead of his Semi-Final but he ultimately found Gary Anderson too good on the night as is typical with ‘Chizzy’ just when you think he’s going to win a big one.

Luke Humphries also has a decent record in this event for someone at the start of his darting career really. He was back to back Quarter-Finalist on 2019 and 2020 and has really found his game this year. He’s reached 4 finals and although he may have lost in each one the performances against him in these finals have all been superb.

These pair really know where the red bit so in a tough game call take that section of the board to take a battering especially as this could go all the way.

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Nathan Aspinall vs Callan Rydz

Former back to back Semi-Finalist Nathan Aspinall really is a dogged and determined character.  Nursing an injury in his opening game against Joe Murnan he needed to dig deep to advance 3-2. Looking down and out and evading a missed match dart he produced a stunning fight back to avoid a shock exit.

We know he’s better than that performance showed and his problems were downplayed but he did admit in his interview afterwards that it’s causing him a few problems. He could have his hands full against another rising star of the game Callan Rydz, who defeated him 7-2 in the Semi-Final of a floor tournament earlier this year, their solitary meeting in 2021.

It’s been a terrific year for Rydz who’s claimed two titles on the floor and enjoyed an excellent run to the Quarter-Finals of the World Matchplay in the summer.

He’s already come through two matches to be here, without dropping a set. He defeated Yuki Yamada of Japan 3-0 in the opening round then repeated that scoreline in round two against Brendan Dolan, in what many predicted would be a tight game to call. Both players averaged over 100 and in terms of statistical analysis it sets the standard for the tournament in terms of the combined match average of both players.

As there’s concerns still with ‘The Asp’ and we know Rydz is in good form take the latter with a 1.5 set start on the handicap.

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The EVENING treble ⬇️

Gary Anderson vs Ian White

Two seasoned professionals take to the oche in the final game of the Last 32 and the opening game of the evening session.

Ian White has often been talked up in previous years but never really produced on the Ally Pally stage. Usually a multiple winner on the floor each year he’s actually struggled this year. No titles to his name and two semi-finals were the best results he could produce.

He’s often struggled to replicate his floor form on stage and a QF back in 2014 is his best record in this event. He’s also had numerous exits at the Last 64 stage including last year.

His best showing on TV this year was a Quarter-Final run in the World Grand Prix but even that was fortunate as he should’ve probably lost in the previous round to Darius Labanuaskas, the crowd helped him get over the line. He actually beat today’s opponent in the first round of that event.

Anderson a back to back to winner of this event in 2015 and 2016 still retains the natural ability he always had, it’s the hunger that he needs to really push him after a long career in top level darts. He’s stated in interviews recently that he’s enjoying his darts again and practicing – when they can – with Ryan Searle which has helped rekindle some of that drive.

He’s already come through a tough game as he faced former dual champion Adrian Lewis in his opener. He won 3-1 and when he got going it was pretty much one way traffic. It was a steady if not spectacular performance as he averaged 93.74 but there were a number of gears left in him to move through if needed.

We don’t see him as much these days as he manages his calendar to suit himself at this stage of his career. He doesn’t really worry about rankings too much he just turns up and plays his game. Whilst it’s not been a top year for him either we did see at the Grand Slam of Darts that he’s still a threat. He came through a tough group before losing a tight tungsten tussle with MVG in the Last 16. I think he’ll have too much over this longer format for White.

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Gerwyn Price vs Dirk Van Duijvenbode

The defending champion survived a huge scare in his last 32 match against Kim Huybrechts as he went to a last leg decider against the Belgian.

Kim missed a number of darts at the double to break the throw of the champ in the final set before it reached that stage and although you can argue Huybrechts probably should’ve pinched the match late on that’s what it would been, pinched. Price won the leg count 20-14 and was arguably the deserved winner.

He didn’t produce a spectacular average, in fact it was just 92.04 which for him is relatively low but it was a spectacular match and one in which ‘The Iceman’ checked out 5 ton plus finishes. It was this kind of finishing that helped him win the title last year and you wouldn’t bet against that happening again this year.

Van Duijvenbode staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Ross Smith in the last round. Having trailed 3-0 he then reeled off four straight sets to seal the victory.

During those final four sets his power scoring was something else, 180 after 180 from statistically the best 180 hitter on the planet, he just peppered the red bit throughout.

He’ll need to reproduce that kind of display here to beat the World Number One as you can’t see Price relinquishing such a dominant lead. Dirk reached the Quarter-Final last year but he was royally put in his place by Gary Anderson. I think a similar scenario could happen here as the tournament favourite just as this belief that if he turns up no one can match him.

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Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith

This promises to be an absolute belter between two of the best performers at the event so far. Clayton is averaging the highest in the tournament at the moment at 103.17 across his two matches, whereas Smith produced the best individual display we’ve seen when he beat Ron Meulenkamp 3-0 in his opening game with a 106.32 average and hitting 75% of his doubles.

On his game Smith is one of the best players to watch. He has a lovely smooth speedy action and can go toe to tie with anyone in the World and over a longer format. The fact he hasn’t won a major yet appears not to be a mechanical issue but more a mental one. He’s been runner up in each of the World Championships, Matchplay and Premier League – the triple crown of darts – he just seemingly gets off to a slow start in these finals.

There was signs of brilliance and vulnerability at the recent Grand Slam of Darts. He ruthlessly put Michael Van Gerwen to the sword in the Quarter-Finals but then having looked the likelier winner in his Semi-Final against Peter Wright, Snakebite won eight consecutive legs to turn the match on its head. Whilst that wasn’t a capitulation from ‘Bully Boy’ and was more to do with a period of unplayable dominance from his opponent it was another psychological blow for him.

On the flip side Clayton must feel on top of the World as he seemingly just turns up and takes all before him. A winner of the Masters, Premier League, World Grand Prix and World Series of Darts this year there’s no doubt in my mind he’s the best player we’ve seen so far at this tournament.

He’s produced two averages around the 103 mark and whilst he was pushed hard in his opener by Keane Barry, it couldn’t have been much easier in his second round 3-0 victory against Gabriel Clemens. His game is in a good place at the moment. He’s scoring well, he’s finishing superbly and his confidence is sky high and I expect him to grind down his opponent eventually in this race to four.

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