Michael van Gerwen too strong for Adrian Lewis at World Darts Championship
Written by News on 28/12/2018
Michael van Gerwen fired an ominous warning to the rest of the field at the World Darts Championship, beating Adrian Lewis in a thrilling contest to book his place in the last eight.
MVG chalked up the highest average of the tournament so far on Thursday night, beating a resurgent Jackpot to remain on course for a blockbuster showdown with Gary Anderson in the last four.
Anderson was taken into sudden death for the second round in succession and just as in his dramatic victory over Jermaine Wattimena on Saturday, he was forced to dig deep to see off Chris Dobey.
In the evening session opener, Benito Van de Pas won a bizarre third-round match that featured 61 missed darts at double and seven three-figure finishes, the Dutchman seeing off Toni Alcinas to become the last man into the last 16.
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Adrian Lewis, Fourth Round
Michael van Gerwen remains in the hunt for a third world title, firing six 180s and a 108.08 average on his way to an impressive victory over Adrian Lewis, who showed that he is still on course for a return to the top.
Lewis started in fine style, taking out 110 in the opening leg of the match – but that was as good as it got early on for Jackpot, who could not keep pace with MvG’s fearsome scoring power.
The world number one took out the next three legs, leaving Lewis grasping at the thinnest of chances, as a dart for a 104 went begging with Van Gerwen looking in ominous form in his quest to add to his 2014 and 2017 titles.
A classy 11-dart leg from Jackpot levelled the second set and Lewis, the 2011 and 2012 champion, produced an improved display to take the set to a deciding fifth leg, where Van Gerwen prevailed.
The brilliant Dutchman powered on in the third set, a sparkling 127 finish on the bullseye taking him 2-0 in front and seemingly cruising to victory.
But Jackpot had other ideas as he suddenly burst into life, taking out a 107 finish before punishing five missed darts for the set to force a deciding leg which he took out with a superb 10-darter.
However, when backed into a corner, Van Gerwen often comes out fighting – and taking on the crowd as well as his opponent when trailing 2-1 in the fourth set, he fired back-to-back 11-dart legs to turn a potential level game into a 3-1 lead.
There was still time for Lewis to go 2-1 in front again but Van Gerwen reeled out back-to-back legs for a second time to take the set and with it the match, setting up a quarter-final date with Ryan Joyce or James Wade.
Gary Anderson 4-3 Chris Dobey, Fourth Round
Gary Anderson, champion in 2015 and 2016, became the first man into the last eight but only after an astonishing contest with Chris Dobey that featured 28 maximums in 33 legs.
Anderson had started with a brilliant 123 check-out for a 12-dart break of throw but Dobey responded in style, taking the first set before coming from a leg down in the second to reel off three legs in succession.
A brilliant final leg of the second set featured two maximums and a clinical 41 for a two-set advantage but Anderson returned from the interval meaning business. A 13-dart break of hold kicked things off in perfect fashion before two more legs followed in quick succession with Dobey barely given a look in.
Having averaged 104 for the third set, Anderson marched on to take the first leg of the third set before Dobey forced a decider with a brilliant 108, then a missed a dart at bullseye handed Anderson a chance he did not pass up.
Anderson swept into a 2-0 lead in the fifth amid a barrage of maximums but Dobey was undaunted, averaging 112 for the set he reeled off another three legs in succession to claim a 3-2 lead.
Again Anderson swept into a 2-0 lead only to see Dobey fight back and level but the two-time champ forced the deciding set where he was to prevail amid high drama.
Dobey’s 148 started the set in blistering fashion and the pair traded legs to ensure extra-time when locked at 2-2. Despite two bounce outs in the leg, Anderson opened up a 3-2 lead and then missed three darts for the match, before Dobey missed the big 10 that gave the Scot his chance which he took with his final dart in hand.
Benito Van de Pas 4-2 Toni Alcinas, Third Round
Benito Van de Pas won his contest with Toni Alcinas to reach the last 16 for the fourth time in the last five years, and he will hope to make the last eight for the first time.
A low-key start saw both men struggling to hit their doubles early on. Van de Pas, who hit the front, taking a 2-0 lead with a solid rather than spectacular game.
Alcinas took out 105 and 100 for his only legs of the first two sets, with Van de Pas’ average of 85 and 38% finishing stats enough to account for a below-par opponent. Having moved 2-1 in front in the third set, Van de Pas missed three darts for a 3-0 lead, allowing Alcinas to force a deciding leg and punish the Dutchman’s wayward finishing.
The Spaniard found double top to get a set on the board and then fought back brilliantly from 2-0 down in the fourth set to level the contest.
A second 100 finish of the match to open the fifth set moved Alcinas in front for the first time, and the topsy-turvy nature continued with the set heading to a fifth-leg decider that was pinched with a brilliant 149 from Van de Pas.
Alcinas’ response was to start the sixth with a fourth 100+ finish of the match and Van de Pas responded with his third, a fantastic 151 taking him to the brink of the match and a second 180 of the night was enough to crank up the pressure.
This time Alcinas had no answer, allowing Van de Pas to pin the double required and reach the last 16 where he will face Brendan Dolan.
You can follow every dart from every session of the World Darts Championships on Sky Sports Darts, check out the full schedule here. You can also stay up to date with all the action behind the scenes by following us @SkySportsDarts
(c) Sky News 2018: Michael van Gerwen too strong for Adrian Lewis at World Darts Championship
