World Darts Championship 2022/23 | Day Seven preview and order of play
The First Round action draws to a close at the World Darts Championship on Wednesday, while a host of top seeds begin their campaigns at Alexandra Palace.
Two places in the Second Round of the sport’s show-piece remain up for grabs before the focus turns to a crucial run-in of Last 64 ties prior to the Christmas break.
The afternoon session begins with a tie between former World Masters champion John O’Shea and Lithuanian number one – Darius Labanauskas.
O’Shea is making his PDC World Championship debut via the ProTour Order of Merit, largely thanks to a run to the final of a Players Championship event in May.
The charismatic Irishman claimed World Masters glory at the Circus Tavern in 2019 and secured a two-year Tour Card at the beginning of this year.
Labanauskas, meanwhile, qualified for his fifth PDC World Championship after finishing top of this year’s Nordic & Baltic Order of Merit, and boasts fine pedigree on this stage, having reached the Quarter-Finals in 2020 and producing a memorable nine-darter 12 months ago.
Quick-fire Dutchman Martijn Kleermaker aims to secure his spot in the Second Round by overcoming Chinese debutant Xicheng Han.
Kleermaker enjoyed an impressive run to the Last 16 on debut here last year, defeating Simon Whitlock and Joe Cullen along the way.
The world number 44 has won just under half of his matches on the tour this season and enjoyed a fine scalp of Nathan Aspinall in the First Round of last month’s Players Championship Finals.
Han was beaten in the final of the PDC China Premier League, however Xiaochen Zong’s withdrawal due to travel issues means he was handed an unexpected second chance to grace the Ally Pally stage.
Two of the sport’s brightest young stars then collide as Callan Rydz comes up against Josh Rock for a place in the Last 32.
Rydz embarked on a landmark run to the Quarter-Finals on his last visit to Ally Pally, with only eventual champion Peter Wright denying the Tyneside thrower in a nine-set thriller.
He returns as the number 23 seed with a European Tour Semi-Final to his name this season, as well as a timely run to the Last Eight of the recent Players Championship Finals.
Rock got his debut World Championship campaign off and running with a 3-1 victory over Spain’s Jose Justicia but was highly critical of his own performance despite averaging 93.3.
Rock has enjoyed a remarkable first season on the PDC circuit, picking up a Players Championship title, as well as the World Youth crown and five Development Tour triumphs.
The 21-year-old has stormed into the world’s top 50 and came into this event as the sixth favourite with the bookmakers, having landed a sensational nine-darter during an epic Second Round contest with Michael van Gerwen at the Grand Slam in which he was beaten 10-8 despite an average of 104.
Former Lakeside world finalist Dave Chisnall, the number 12 seed, opens up with a tricky tie against a resurgent Andrew Gilding.
Chisnall, an ever-present at Ally Pally over the past decade, came closest to glory two years ago when he reached the Semi-Finals behind closed doors.
Chizzy has enjoyed another strong season, finishing runner-up at The Masters and picking up the Belgian Darts Open title, in addition to a Players Championship crown in October.
Gilding, a former UK Open semi-finalist, has reached finals on both the European Tour – where he was denied by Chisnall – and ProTour this season, and marked his first World Championship appearance since 2016 with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Robert Owen on Monday.
All eyes will be on Michael van Gerwen in the evening session as he launches his latest bid for a fourth world title with a clash against Welsh youngster Lewy Williams.
Van Gerwen, World Champion in 2014, 2017 and 2019, has been the dominant force on the circuit this year, storming to Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals glory to take his tally of PDC major titles to 45.
The Dutch sensation has racked up a further three European Tour titles, two ProTours and a World Series crown this season and heads to London as the number three seed – bidding to make up for last year’s heartbreak when he was removed from the competition prior to his Third Round match due to a positive Covid test.
Williams is gearing up for the biggest night of his darting life after thrashing Niels Zonneveld in straight sets in Round One.
The Development Tour qualifier notably wired double 12 for a nine-darter in the final leg of the match and will look to subject MVG to a first opening round exit here since 2010.
Former Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting starts his campaign with a tie against North American champion Leonard Gates.
Bunting’s best run here came two years ago when he reached the Semi-Finals before being denied by eventual champion Gerwyn Price, and the two-time World Masters winner will be keen to put a below-par season behind him and atone for last year’s Second Round exit at the hands of Ross Smith.
Gates immediately established himself as a fan’s favourite with his trademark dance moves on the walk-on ahead of his First Round tie earlier in the week.
The 52-year-old former Baseball player defeated Dutch youngster Geert Nentjes 3-1 and will be aiming to extend his run beyond Christmas by pulling off an upset here.
Mervyn King, the number 27 seed and 2009 semi-finalist, opens up with a tie against resurgent American Danny Baggish.
King, 56, reached the Quarter-Finals at Ally Pally last time out but has endured a tough year to follow, failing to qualify for a number of ranked televised majors, including the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and European Championship.
Baggish pulled off a commanding straight sets win over Canada’s Matt Campbell to reach the Second Round for the third time in as many appearances.
The former North American champion must reach at least the Fourth Round if he is to have any chance of saving his Tour Card, but his form has been on an upward curve at the back end of the year.
German number one Gabriel Clemens aims to avert an early exit at the hands of Republic of Ireland number one William O’Connor.
Clemens, the world number 25, reached the final of a Players Championship event in July but has endured a torrid spell in front of the TV cameras, losing in the opening round of his last five televised ranking tournaments.
O’Connor produced a thoroughly professional performance to dispatch WDF Women’s World Champion Beau Greaves in straight sets last Friday and reach the Second Round for the fifth consecutive year.
The Hungarian Trophy runner-up and former World Cup finalist averaged 94.2 in his opener and will be confident of progressing past an opponent for whom televised wins have proved few and far between of late.
The action commences from 12.30pm GMT, with First Round and Second Round matches to be contested over the best five sets, best of five legs per set.
The tie break rule does not apply to First Round matches, meaning the fifth leg of a deciding set would be sudden death, while the final set in matches from Round Two onwards must be won by two clear legs, unless the score reaches 5-5, in which case a sudden-death leg will be played.
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World Darts Championship 2022/23 Day Seven Schedule
Wednesday December 21
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-4.30pm)
John O’Shea v Darius Labanauskas (R1)
Martijn Kleermaker v Xicheng Han (R1)
Callan Rydz v Josh Rock (R2)
Dave Chisnall v Andrew Gilding (R2)
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Mervyn King v Danny Baggish (R2)
Gabriel Clemens v William O’Connor (R2)
Michael van Gerwen v Lewy Williams (R2)
Stephen Bunting v Leonard Gates (R2)
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