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What a blow: defending champion Michael Smith (33) fails in the eighth finals at the World Darts Championship. The Englishman lost 4-0 to his compatriot Chris Dobey, who was the same age despite an almost identical points average. It is therefore clear: Smith will lose his status as number one in the world rankings after the World Cup.
His opponent in the final of the last World Cup, Michael van Gerwen (34, Ho), is doing better. The three-time World Cup champion also showed Englishman Stephen Bunting (38) the limits with a 4-0 win in the first round of 16 of this tournament. Bunting cannot build on his performance from the previous day against Florian Hempel.
Generational match “Barney” versus Littler
Raymond van Barneveld, who perfects the generational duel with exceptional talent Luke Littler, still has to play in the eighth finals. The 56-year-old veteran won his third round match against Jim Williams (Wales) 4-1 and now faces the English world junior champion, 40 years his junior, who was making his first appearance in the “Ally Pally” caused a stir.
Born just 20 days after Barney’s 2007 World Cup victory, Littler quickly became a crowd favorite at Alexandra Palace due to his strong performances and youthful character. “When I was 16 I played with Lego and Playmobil,” van Barneveld said of Sky, “this man is something completely different.” The bookmakers think so too, because they only trade Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries (28, Eng) higher than Littler.
Scot Gary Anderson (53) also booked his ticket for the eighth finals on Friday evening with a dominant 4-1. The two-time title holder initially fell behind against Boris Krcmar (44, Kro) before fulfilling his role as favorite. Anderson impressed, especially in the third set, with a three-dart average of more than 112 points. (AFP/che)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
