Michael van Gerwen continued his bid for a fourth Cazoo World Darts Championship crown with an emphatic 4-1 win over his fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode on Friday, as the quarter-final line-up was finalised at Alexandra Palace.
The final day of darting action in 2022 saw the remaining six ties in the fourth round take place in the capital, with three-time World Champion Van Gerwen and two-time runner-up Michael Smith easing through to the last eight.
Van Gerwen registered a record-extending 36th ton-plus average in the sport’s showpiece event to dispatch his compatriot Van Duijvenbode and move through to a ninth World Championship quarter-final.
The number three seed drew first blood in a high-quality opening set, which featured a 117 finish from Van Duijvenbode and a superb 11-dart opener from Van Gerwen.
The 33-year-old then defied a sublime 170 finish from Van Duijvenbode to double his lead, although the three-time TV finalist rallied to halve the deficit, following up a crucial 76 kill with a brace of 180s to win set three.
Nevertheless, Van Gerwen punished a sluggish spell from his compatriot to restore his two-set cushion, before producing a classy 120 checkout in set five to seal his progression in style.
“It wasn’t a perfect performance, but I did some really important shots when I had to,” reflected Van Gerwen, who recorded his seventh consecutive ton-plus average on the televised stage.
“I’m full of confidence and in the next round the format is going up. Everything is going to be in my favour, but you need to stay sharp and stay focused.
“I’m only in the quarter-finals and last time I was in the quarter-finals I was smashed 5-0 by Dave Chisnall, so I don’t want to put myself in the same position again.”
Van Gerwen will now take on Chris Dobey in the last eight.
The quarter-final action will take place on a blockbuster double session on January 1, with Clayton and Van den Bergh kicking off proceedings, before the all-St Helens tie between Smith and Bunting.
The evening session will then see 2021 World Champion Price play German trailblazer Clemens, before Van Gerwen and Dobey collide for a place in Monday’s last four.
Click here to view match stats & results
2022/23 Cazoo World Darts Championship
Friday December 30
Afternoon Session
3x Fourth Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh 4-0 Kim Huybrechts (3-0, 3-2, 3-1, 3-0)
Gabriel Clemens 4-1 Alan Soutar (3-0, 1-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-2)
Michael Smith 4-1 Joe Cullen (3-2, 0-3, 3-0, 3-2, 3-2)
Evening Session
3x Fourth Round
Chris Dobey 4-2 Rob Cross (1-3, 3-0, 0-3, 3-2, 3-1, 3-2)
Michael van Gerwen 4-1 Dirk van Duijvenbode (3-1, 3-1, 1-3, 3-2, 3-0)
Stephen Bunting 4-1 Luke Humphries (3-1, 3-0, 1-3, 3-2, 3-0)
Sunday January 1
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith v Stephen Bunting
Evening Session (1930 GMT)
2x Quarter-Finals
Gerwyn Price v Gabriel Clemens
Michael van Gerwen v Chris Dobey
Best of nine sets
—–ENDS—–
Images: Kieran Cleeves /PDC
Images: PDC
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