Darts World Matchplay 2015: Quarter-Finals Results, Standings, Draw and Fixtures

Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright booked their places in the 2015 BetVictor World Matchplay Championship semi-finals on Thursday, overcoming Gerwyn Price and Ian White respectively. Defending champion Phil Taylor and James Wade joined them on Friday, setting up two fantastic semi-final matchups. 

The Power cruised past Dave Chisnall, while Wade had little difficulty taking down Mensur Suljovic. On Thursday, Van Gerwen recovered from a 6-1 deficit in his quarter-final to book a showdown with Wright, on what proved to be an epic night of darts.     

Here's how the draw looks for the semi-finals:

Date	Time	Player	vs.	Player
Saturday, July 25	7:00 p.m. (BST)	Michael van Gerwen	vs.	Peter Wright
Saturday, July 25	Following	Phil Taylor	vs.	James Wade

Here's a breakdown of the results from the quarter-finals followed by a recap of the action:

Match	Player	Score	Player
1	Peter Wright	16-7	Gerwyn Price
2	Michael van Gerwen	16-13	Ian White
3	James Wade	16-11	Mensur Suljovic
4	Phil Taylor	16-8	Dave Chisnall

Recap

Taylor literally hasn't lost a match at Winter Gardens in years, and on Friday, Chizzy never looked likely to end the Power's superb streak in Blackpool. After splitting the first four legs, Taylor built a quick three-leg lead and cruised from that point on, before a six-leg sprint all but ended the match.

Chizzy actually held the advantage in terms of average, but Taylor's fantastic 48 percent checkout rate made the difference, as shared by the PDC's official Twitter account:

Chisnall did well to keep pace with Taylor early, showing his incredible consistency throughout legs, but two 130 finishes from Taylor signaled the beginning of the end. The first came in the sixth leg, as the Power broke throw for the first time, and the second came in the ninth, pushing the lead to three legs.

Taylor stumbled momentarily, giving his opponent a leg after missing seven doubles, but a 68 finish tops restored his lead, and the match turned into a one-sided affair from that point forward.

The Power will meet the dangerous Wade in the semi-finals after the latter took out Suljovic 16-11 on Friday. The Machine's average was almost eight points higher than his opponent, but to his credit, Suljovic managed to stay in the match thanks to a 48 percent checkout rate.

Wade gave his opponent full credit for a tough match before admitting he will have to improve in the semi-finals:

A strong run gave Wade a 12-5 lead, but to the shock of the home crowd, Suljovic managed to stick around and even closed the gap to 13-11. A missed double on 14 allowed Wade to finish 74 in just two darts, however, and the 32-year-old went on to win the remaining two legs.

On Thursday, an upset had seemed on the cards when White took the first three legs against Van Gerwen. Ranked 10th in the world, White established his lead with a maximum as well as a double four to earn the first break.

A double six finally got Van Gerwen rolling at 3-1. But not even a 180 in the next leg could stop White moving 4-1 in front as the pair headed into the first interval. 

The turning point came when White missed double 11 as he led 6-2. Van Gerwen took the leg to move within three, and closed that gap to 6-4 at the second interval. He had engineered an impressive comeback, per the PDC.TV official Twitter account:

An 11-darter from White was followed by another 180 from Van Gerwen as both players produced some fine darts. It was soon 7-5 after MVG took out double 16.

Van Gerwen had now re-established his groove and hit another two maximums. He briefly flirted with a nine-darter, and it was no surprise when he hit tops to level at seven legs apiece.

Still White would not go away, breaking throw for a 10-8 lead. But Van Gerwen soon broke back with a double 18 before levelling the match at 10 each.

MVG led for the first time in the 21st frame and a double eight put him two legs in front. But White soon levelled things after a sensational exchange of 180s. The 24th leg ended with the 44-year-old hitting double-six to make it 12-12.

White went back in front after yet another maximum gave him control in the leg, but he then missed a double 11, leaving Van Gerwen to capitalise with a double seven to break.

It came down to nerve, and White missed another double that let Van Gerwen go 15-13 ahead and one leg short of the semi-final. The Dutchman eventually hit tops to edge an incredible encounter and keep his Triple Crown hopes alive:

The statistics summed up the quality of the play from both men: 

Earlier, Peter Wright was in dominant mood against Gerwyn Price. He raced into a 4-1 lead after taking the first leg following a 13-darter which ended with double 12, and things got worse for Price during the second session:

Wright could do no wrong even when erred at the oche. A dismal 24 wasn't immediately punished when Price couldn't take 140 to break back.

Trailing by nine legs at 13-4, Price twice missed tops, once again allowing his opponent to capitalise.

Wright stumbled toward the finish line, briefly allowing Price to close the gap, but the match was all but done. A double four closed things out.

Francois Nel/Getty Images

The average scoring showed how Wright had established and ultimately maintained control over Price:

Wright eventually finished well, but he should be a little concerned by how sloppy he got when he was 14-4 in front.

As for Van Gerwen, he was cornered into a desperate scrap. But it was one he survived, and few would back against him going all the way.