Current Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker kept the Belgian flag flying at this year’s World Matchplay, picking up his first-ever win on the Winter Gardens stage and ending Dave Chisnall’s hopes of finally landing that elusive maiden TV major.
Two years ago, De Decker opened the tournament against Joe Cullen – and was looking at flights home an hour later. This time around, he returned not just with more experience, but as the sole Belgian representative and reigning World Grand Prix champion.
Carrying that kind of national pride, Double Decker has made it clear he’d love nothing more than to emulate compatriot Dimitri Van den Bergh’s 2020 Matchplay triumph.
In what was a tense tungsten tussle, neither player managed to pull more than two legs clear. Well – to be specific – De Decker never got more than a couple ahead, but crucially, Chizzy never got ahead at all.Early on, both players edged mini-sessions 3-2, sending us into the third and final act level at 5-5.
The match continued to tick along with leg-trading and tension, reaching 7-7 before De Decker finally broke the pattern – rattling off the final three legs to seal a 10-7 victory.
Scoring-wise, there was barely anything between them. But check out the finishing stats and the picture sharpens: De Decker’s checkout percentage was nearly double Chisnall’s – and that, in the end, made all the difference.
The Belgian World Cup skipper now advances to his first Matchplay last 16, and will find out later tonight whether he’ll face his Welsh or German counterpart on Tuesday night with Mike’s prize being the victor in the Clayton versus Schindler tie.
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IMAGES: T Lanning/ PDC
