The form crisis of Michael van Gerwen continues. At the 2020 Unibet European Darts Championship the three-time world champion was eliminated in the second round. Although he played an average of almost 102 points in the evening session, MVG had to admit defeat to Ian White by a clear scoreline of 10:4. White himself showed outstanding form and averaged 103.6. The key to victory was the first session, which “Diamond” won by 5:0. “I knew that I had to be on my guard not to allow Michael to make a comeback. It was a great thing for me to finally beat MVG at a TV event,” said a relieved Ian White.
In the first game of the last 16 on Friday afternoon Irishman William O`Connor gave an under-par Jamie Hughes little chance. “The Magpie” was able to set the course for success early on when he went into the first break by 5:0. Hughes could not make up for this deficit and in the end it was a clear 10:3 for O`Connor. “I didn’t play well and neither did Jamie, but in the end only the victory counts,” said the Irishman after making it into the quarter finals.
The second of the afternoon, however, was much closer. After a poor start to the game, Devon Petersen was 4-1 down against Martijn Kleermaker from the Netherlands. The South African, who recently won his first PDC title in Hildesheim, played better and better afterwards. In the end, he recorded a 10:8 victory with an average of 101. “Today was my day, but Martijn showed that you will hear a lot more from him in the future,” the African Warrior said after the match.
Another recent winner on the European Tour, on the other hand, had to pack his bags in round two. Jose de Sousa, who was crowned the European Darts Grand Prix Champion in Sindelfingen two weeks ago, was defeated by Jonny Clayton. Although both players played an almost identical average of 98 points, the Welsh star had his nose in front in the decisive moments and won by 10:6. “It’s time for a big tournament win for me and I’ll give everything to make it happen here in Oberhausen”, said an optimistic “Ferret”.
At the end of the afternoon session the number 6 and the number 11 of the world clashed: Nathan Aspinall against James Wade. “The Machine” got the better start into the game and was able to gain a small advantage. Aspinall kept it close but Wade kept his nose in front throughout the match and showed his famous qualities in finishing the legs with a 161 finish. In the end it was a 10:8 for James Wade.
The evening session began like the afternoon ended: with an absolute neck-and-neck race! Dirk van Duijvenbode got off to a good start against Michael Smith and quickly took a 3-0 lead, after which the “Titan” lost his rhythm a bit and “Bully Boy” took the lead. Towards the end of the game, however, Smith showed some lack of concentration, including missing a big 3 to set up a shot at double. Van Duijvenbode took advantage of this and won the game 10:8. “In the middle of the match I got drawn into Michael’s fast throwing rhythm and that cost me a few legs. Thank God I found my pace again in the end,” the Dutchman said in his interview with ITV.
The following match was the one which all spectators at the König- Pilsener-ARENA had been looking forward to: The duel of the number 2 and number 3 of the world, Gerwyn Price against world champion Peter Wright! And the game kept what the big names promised. Both players displayed an average of well over 100 points. Wright played an excellent second session and went from 3:2 to 7:3 up. Although Price started a little comeback towards the end of the game, it was too late and “Snakebite” got through to the quarter finals by 10:6. “I took a little break in the last few weeks because I didn’t enjoy playing so much anymore. But a game like this wakes up the old bones again”, the world champion stated after the match.
To close out the night Steve West and Mensur Suljovic provided an absolute thriller! West started the match very well and quickly took the lead by 5:1, 6:2 and 7:3. But then the fighting Austrian clawed his way back into the match and equalized late at 8:8 and 9:9 respectively. In the decisive 19th leg, however, it was “Simply” who kept his nerves under control and ran across the finish line under pressure with a sensational 106 finish. “If I can win this event, I’ll retire immediately,” said an overjoyed Steve West after the win.
2020 Unibet European Darts Championship, Friday, Second round
Afternoon session
William O´Connor 10:3 Jamie Hughes
Devon Petersen 10:8 Martijn Kleermaker
Jose de Sousa 6:10 Jonny Clayton
Nathan Aspinall 8:10 James Wade
Evening session
Michael Smith 8:10 Dirk van Duijvenbode
Gerwyn Price 6:10 Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen 4:10 Ian White
Mensur Suljovic 9:10 Steve West
This results in the following quarterfinal pairings for Saturday evening:
William O´Connor – James Wade
Devon Petersen – Ian White
Peter Wright – Steve West
Jonny Clayton – Dirk van Duijvenbode
