WILLIAMS PRODUCES HUGE SHOCK OVER DUTCHMAN
The highest remaining seed in the competition, Michael van Gerwen, fell victim to Scott Williams in a shocking 5-3 defeat.
‘Shaggy’ sauntered to an early lead, comfortably taking the first set over MvG to love. The Dutchman did respond in pretty defiant terms, seizing the set from 1-1 with 2 excellent 11 darters.
Set 3 was not the turning point van Gerwen may have hoped for. After Williams edged an 18 darter, the pair continued to trade legs, ending up in a decider which the number 2 seed won amid five missed darts at double from Williams.
What followed was a six-game blitz from Williams which few could have expected, leaving van Gerwen 3-2 behind in sets and an even starker 12-6 behind in leg play.
The three-time world champion required a response, and delivered one, with a set to nil of his own to level proceedings.
With parity restored, now was the time for MvG to wriggle free of Williams, the sort of manoeuvre to victory we have seen so many times from the Dutchman. But it simply did not happen. A steady hold in leg 1 from Williams was followed by a break in leg 4 which sealed the set, a disastrous attempt at 76 ultimately proving van Gerwen’s undoing.
An opening leg hold from van Gerwen was a remedy of sorts, but still one which indicated a lack of confidence. Williams had the finishing line in sight, and followed in with an impressive hold of his own before an 11-dart break which few could have handled. One leg was required, and soon Williams was there. A giant killing of even more gigantic proportions.
“My friends and family keep me going. They keep pushing me along. I’m loving it up there,” Williams told Sky Sports.
“Double 16 [the winning double] has been my favourite double and will be my favourite double forever and ever and ever.”
Luke Humphries produced an emphatic 5-1 win over Dave Chisnall to secure his first ever world semi-final.
After being party to two rather headline-grabbing matches in the third and fourth round, Humphries was no doubt happy to leave the drama to his predecessors on the Ally Pally stage.
And his demolition job of Chisnall was every bit the sort of stamp of authority he would have been hoping for.
It was Humphries on top early on, a 3-1 opening stanza settling the nerves and setting his stall out in what is now an open-wide draw.
The second would go to a decider, where a maxi came to Chisnall’s rescue and helped him on his way to a first set. He pinned double 2 after avoiding some positioning trouble.
Set 3 saw Humphries return to more commanding form, taking it 3 games to 1 with little effective response from Chisnall.
‘Chizzy’ needed to find an extra gear, and an 11 darter in leg 1 of set 4 certainly assisted with that. After following it with a 12 darter, Chisnall looked like he was getting into his groove. But a resilient ‘Cool Hand’ forced the set to go all the way before taking the decider.
3-1 down was perhaps not yet time to panic for Chisnall, who is too long in the tooth to crumble under that pressure. But the fifth set felt crucial for the St Helens man to arrest the decline. An 11 darter from Humphries was a bitter blow, but a strong hold kept him in touching distance.
After another hold from Luke, the pressure on his throw would mount. A wobbly second leg on throw would be managed, but the 43-year-old could offer little in leg 5.
A break in leg 1 of the sixth set from Humphries put Chisnall on notice, and soon enough the whole thing would be over. A ruthless 13 darter was followed by a winning 117 out. In a day of relative chaos, twists and turns and shocks and spills, this was just what the doctor ordered.
“It is exciting now,” Luke told Sky’s Polly James. “If Rob [Cross] loses, there will be a new world champion. I don’t think you can call it now. May the best man win from here on in.”
The tournament is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Monday January 1
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Scott Williams 5-3 Michael van Gerwen (3-0, 1-3, 2-3, 3-0, 3-0, 0-3, 3-1, 3-1)
Luke Humphries 5-1 Dave Chisnall (3-1, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-2, 3-0)
Tuesday January 2
Evening Session (1930 GMT)
2x Semi-Finals
Luke Littler v Rob Cross
Luke Humphries v Scott Williams
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Images: PDC
