PDC Masters Darts 2016: Scores, Results, Updated Schedule After Saturday
The 2016 PDC Unibet Masters Darts kicked off on Saturday, as the top 16 players in the world converged on the ArenaMK in Milton Keynes, England, for the first round. World champion Gary Anderson suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Vincent van der Voort, while Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor advanced easily.
The afternoon session immediately produced the first big shock, with Michael Smith eliminating Raymond van Barneveld.
Meanwhile, Dave Chisnall produced an improbable comeback, beating Robert Thornton in a decider after losing the first eight legs. Here's a look at the results and the updated schedule:
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| Robert Thornton | 9-10 | Dave Chisnall |
| James Wade | 10-8 | Terry Jenkins |
| Peter Wright | 10-7 | Ian White |
| Michael Smith | 10-7 | Raymond van Barneveld |
| Adrian Lewis | 4-10 | Kim Huybrechts |
| Phil Taylor | 10-6 | Jelle Klaasen |
| Gary Anderson | 7-10 | Vincent van der Voort |
| Michael van Gerwen | 10-1 | Stephen Bunting |
| Kim Huybrechts | vs. | James Wade |
| Vincent van der Voort | vs. | Terry Jenkins |
| Phil Taylor | vs. | Peter Wright |
| Michael van Gerwen | vs. | Michael Smith |
| Semi-Finals | ||
| Final |
Evening Session
Two-time world champion Anderson never found his groove against dangerous outsider Van der Voort and suffered a shocking first-round exit, losing 10-7. The Flying Scotsman looked erratic on the doubles early and simply couldn't keep pace with the Dutchman's scoring in the final legs.
Anderson finished the 2015 in sensational form, and it shouldn't come as a huge surprise that he looked rusty in the first major meeting of the 2016 campaign. He looked shaky at times last year as well and bowed out in the semi-finals, and 2015 ended up being a great year for the Scotsman, so he shouldn't be too worried about this loss.
No one made a bigger impression than Order of Merit leader Van Gerwen on Saturday, blowing past Stephen Bunting in 11 legs. Along the way, he came agonisingly close to a nine-darter, via the PDC's official Twitter account:
Mighty Mike needed just 22 darts to win the first two legs and finished the match with an absurd average of 112, sending a clear message to the rest of the field that he means business. The World Championship was a major disappointment for the Dutchman, but he remains the most consistent threat on the PDC circuit, and when he's on point, he's impossible to beat.
Darts legend Taylor also looked more than solid in his 10-6 win over Jelle Klaasen, the same man who knocked him out of the World Championship. Per the PDC's official Twitter account, the Power looked remarkably at ease after the match:
Taylor grabbed a quick six-leg lead and comfortably waited for his chances in the final legs, despite a remarkable comeback from Klaasen. The veteran is looking for his second Masters title, and he could very well walk away with the trophy in 2016.
Kim Huybrechts bagged his first ever win at the Masters in he opening match of the evening session beating Adrian Lewis 10-4.
Afternoon Session
Smith produced an 11-darter en route to his first-ever televised win over Van Barneveld, beating the Dutchman 10-7. PDC Darts shared the final throw of their match:
Barney made the final of the Masters in 2015 but never looked himself against Smith, who is widely expected to be the top breakout player of the upcoming season. Bully Boy looked far sharper on the doubles and kept his composure in the final legs, grabbing the win.
Smith will be a tricky customer for whoever he faces in the semi-finals, with explosive scoring ability and little pressure on his shoulders. The 25-year-old was expected to do little but gain experience during this year's tournament―the pressure will now be on his opponent on Sunday.
Chisnall stole the show with a comeback for the ages during the afternoon session, losing the first eight legs of his match against Thornton before winning a decider. Chizzy looked horrendous on the doubles early, missing the checkout in three straight legs, and the Thorn appeared to be cruising to an easy win, landing a 14-darter at one point.
It took 15 tries for Chisnall to finally land a double, but once he had, he never looked back. He won six straight legs before Thornton moved within one leg of the next round, hitting double 12, but the Scot missed match darts in the 16th leg and the decider, bowing out after one of the strangest matches of the season.
Per the PDC's official website, even Chisnall himself couldn't explain what happened:
"I don't know what happened but I never gave in and I had nothing to lose.
"
I thought I was going to lose because it's hard to come back from 8-0 down, but I took it leg by leg. He'd won eight legs in a row so there was no reason why I couldn't and he let me in.
That's probably one of my best comebacks but I've got to improve on Sunday.
Former champion James Wade was made to work in his 10-8 win over Terry Jenkins, while Peter Wright averaged over 100 in his 10-7 win over Ian White. Snakebite looked excellent during the World Championship and appears to have carried his form into the Masters, which is bad news for the rest of the field.
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