Darts World Matchplay 2014: Quarter-Finals Results, Standings, Draw and Fixtures
The quarter-finals of the 2014 World Matchplay darts are underway, with the world's greatest darters all vying for the title and the £100,000 purse.
One of the most inconic locations in the sport, the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, England have already seen five days of top quality action. With nearly all of the favourites progressing to the quarter-finals, fans can look forward to plenty more 180's in the next few days.
Friday Update
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Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor comfortably took care of business on Friday, keeping their opponents to single-digit legs on their way to the semi-finals.
| Gary Anderson v Adrian Lewis | 16-8 |
| Phil Taylor v Wes Newton | 16-6 |
Anderson took an early 3-0 lead over Adrian Lewis and never looked back, beating his opponent 16-8. The Flying Scotsman averaged over 100 and went 55 percent on his doubles in a dominant display, as shared by Live Darts:
Lewis had the misfortune of running into an in-form Anderson, as Jackpot averaged a very respectable 95 himself. But Anderson's dominance on the checkout was just too much to overcome, and his seven 180's didn't hurt, either.
Jackpot missed several checkouts early in the match and Anderson took full advantage, taking a 3-0 and 9-3 lead. Lewis was able to take two more frames before the break, But three more misses in the next frame gave momentum back to the Flying Scotsman, who ended the night with a brilliant 11-darter, finishing on double six.
Anderson will take on defending champion Taylor, who had even less difficulty dispatching of Wes Newton, as shared by PDC:
The Power and The Warrior split the first four legs and Newton took the next two, including a brilliant sixth that saw Taylor hit a 174 and Newton answer with two 180's and a 41 checkout.
What happened next was vintage Taylor. The Power shifted gear, and in no time the score went from 2-4 to 9-4. Newton was scrambling for answers, but before he truly knew what was happening, Taylor had taken 14 of the last 16 in a stunning rout. PDC Darts World shared the stats:
Taylor's 99.7 average might not seem that high, but it was the way in which he dictated the tempo of the match that had the crowd and his opponent in awe. Every time Newton came close to a checkout, the veteran star would take the opportunity away by producing his magic at just the right time.
He'll need to be just as great on Saturday, with semi-final opponent looking to be in excellent form:
| Simon Whitlock v Michael van Gerwen | tbd |
| Gary Anderson v Phil Taylor | tbd |
Michael van Gerwen and Simon Whitlock have looked outstanding so far during the tournament, and the Dutch world champion and world ranking leader will be the slight favourite heading into this matchup.
Whitlock's tendency to struggle closing matches hasn't shown so far during the tournament, and the Australian is playing some of the best darts of his life. The brash Van Gerwen is a dominant force, however, and he is widely regarded as the favourite to end Taylor's reign as World Matchplay champion.
Taylor won't have it easy against the Flying Scotsman, who recorded a very high average during the quarter-finals and looked mighty impressive on the checkout. But nerves often decide matches on this level, and there isn't a single player able to match The Power when it comes to experience and composure.
Thursday Update
Day 6 of the Darts World Matchplay in Blackpool saw the quarter-finals get underway, with James Wade, Simon Whitlock, Michael van Gerwen and Dave Chisnall all looking to book their place in the last four of the tournament.
Though it’ll be hard to top the excitement of seeing Phil Taylor hit a remarkable nine-darter on Day 5 for the remainder of the Matchplay, the four darting heavyweights on show on Thursday went all out to do just that.
Here’s a look at the results from another entertaining night in Blackpool:
| James Wade vs. Simon Whitlock | 10-16 |
| Michael van Gerwen | 16-12 |
Whitlock Through After Nightmare Start
You’d be hard-pressed to pick a winner heading into Wade and Whitlock’s quarter-final on Thursday, but it was the Englishman who sprung out of the traps and caught Whitlock off guard with a barrage of world-class darts early on.
Kicking off with a 180 to open the match, Wade raced into a 4-0 lead over the Australian, who didn’t get going until the fifth leg.
Seven perfect darts saw Whitlock in with a chance of a nine-darter, but the eighth dart of the 141 combination saw the Wizard narrowly miss treble 15.
However, what turned out to be a 13-darter was a sign of things to come. Whitlock brought the game back to 5-5 before kicking on to lead 9-5 and close in on a place in the semi-finals.
Though the Machine put up a good fight in the closing stages, bringing the match back to 12-9, Whitlock cemented his dominance in the final few legs before two 180s in Leg 26 gave him a precious 16-10 victory.
Narrowly beaten by Wade in last year’s quarter-finals, Whitlock was clearly delighted in exacting sweet revenge, as PDC revealed:
Speaking to the PDC’s official website after the match, the Aussie revealed that everything is now clicking into place for him at the oche:
"I feel fantastic. I had a mission in my mind tonight—I lost a close game to James last year and I wanted to get some revenge over that, and I did. I was very focused tonight and even at 4-0 down I was confident I could come back. I believe in myself and I'm playing my best darts for four or five years, and I'm really confident at the moment. My confidence is sky high and I'm a different Simon Whitlock to four years ago, much more experienced.
"
Whitlock will now face Van Gerwen in the semi-finals, who is looking as unbeatable as ever in Blackpool.
Green Machine Looking Mean
World No. 1 Van Gerwen needed every ounce of his brilliance to dispose of Dave Chisnall in Thursday night’s second thrilling match.
Though neither player deserved to lose the game, Van Gerwen just emerged on top to book his place in the last four, winning 16-12 after a roller-coaster ride at the Tower.
It was Chisnall who had a bright start the match, moving into a 3-0 lead before Van Gerwen awoke from his quarter-final slumber.
However, when he did come around, he did so to devastating effect.
After the man from St. Helens missed three darts at tops to move into a 4-0 lead, Van Gerwen took out 145 in style to get his first leg on the board.
The Dutchman then brought it back to 3-3, as the tight encounter began to take shape, with both players exchanging blows on the Tower stage.
A contender for match of the tournament, the Blackpool fans were at their vocal best as Van Gerwen and Chisnall locked horns, and even snooker referee Jan Verhaas commented on just how much of a spectacle it was:
At 10-10, it was anyone’s game, but the world champion wouldn’t be the world champion if he wasn’t an expert at emerging from such gritty encounters on the right side of the result. And so he proved once again.
With Chisnall 12-11 ahead, Van Gerwen needed something special, and 70 and 129 checkouts later, he found himself in the lead.
It was a lead he never surrendered, putting Chisnall to the sword in the closing legs to move one match away from the final, with just Whitlock standing in his way.
Fabulous work once again from Mighty Mike, who averaged just over 102 on Thursday, with Chisnall not far in his wake, as PDC result revealed:
Both players contributed to a fabulous match, providing hope for more of the same on Day 7 at the World Matchplay.
Day 7 Schedule
| Gary Anderson vs. Adrian Lewis | 7:20 p.m. BST |
| Phil Taylor vs. Wes Newton | 9:30 p.m. BST |
Taylor has looked in impeccable form so far, but Wes Newton will put up a good challenge for the Power on Friday night.
Chasing seven Matchplay titles in a row, Taylor will need to be at his best in the semi-final if he makes it to face one of Gary Anderson or Adrian Lewis.
Both players have played in some epic battles down the years. Here's to hoping that Friday's clash is no different.
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