Day Four of the 2024 World Grand Prix saw the second round draw to a close at the Mattioli Arena, as two former World Champions crashed out on a dramatic night of double-start showpiece action.
James Wade booked his spot in a first quarter-final at the World Grand Prix since 2014, as he comfortably dispatched Gerwyn Price in straight sets and two Belgians, Dimitri Vane den Bergh and Mike De Decker breezed into the quarterfinals.
Fans of Joe Cullen will be delighted to see The Rockstar returning to the later stages of a major for this time since the self same event last year.
The Lancashire star came from behind to beat Daryl Gurney in a five-set thriller. Although not a shock based upon PDC rankings, and more recent glory days, this could definitely be classed as a reversal of the current form book.
Superchin, as Gurney is known, has been on the march in recent months and looks to have rediscovered a little of his appetite for the game as well as some very good performance levels. These included a hammering MVG in his first match earlier this week.
2017 champion Gurney clinched the opening set 3-1, with Cullen then taking the second in a deciding leg.
Gurney again restored his lead as he took the third in straight legs, but then completely faltered in the fourth and fifth sets as Cullen stormed to victory without reply.
“I felt comfortable for most of the game. I didn’t doubt myself at any point,” stated Cullen.
“I’ve been struggling for the whole year, so I’ve been trying to rectify that by putting things in place and I think that showed tonight.
“I thought I showed great resilience and good fight, so bring on the quarter-finals!”
The mercurial Cullen has had a long history of bursts and plateaux, or even slumps, during his career and he has seemed out of sorts since his Premier League omittance in 2023.
Could the Rockstar but hitting the right notes to once more challenge for the biggest titles? We shall soon see as he will return this evening in quarterfinal clast against Dimiti Van Deb Bergh.
The BoyleSports World Grand Prix 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, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2024 BoyleSports World Grand Prix
Thursday October 10
4x Second Round matches
Mike De Decker 3-0 Gary Anderson (3-0, 3-2, 3-2)
James Wade 3-0 Gerwyn Price (3-2, 3-1, 3-1)
Joe Cullen 3-2 Daryl Gurney (1-3, 3-2, 0-3, 3-0, 3-0)
Dimitri Van den Bergh 3-1 Dave Chisnall (1-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-2)
Friday October 11 (1900 BST)
4x Quarter-Finals
Mike De Decker v James Wade
Rob Cross v Ryan Joyce
Luke Humphries v Jonny Clayton
Joe Cullen v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Format – Best of Five Sets
—–ENDS—–
Images: Simon O’Connor/PDC
