Jim Williams stuns James Wade at the World Darts Championship as Anderson and Van Duijvenbode dig deep
Jim Williams pulled off a Second Round scalp of James Wade at the World Darts Championship on Thursday, while Gary Anderson and Dirk van Duijvenbode battled through at Alexandra Palace.
Eighth seed Wade became the highest-profile casualty of the tournament so far after he was sent packing by Welsh ace Williams in a deciding set.
Wade made an assured start, winning the opening set with a flawless display of finishing and kicking off set two with a 107 checkout, but only for Williams to reel off six consecutive legs to storm into a 2-1 lead.
Wade, a four-time semi-finalist in the sport’s showpiece event, responded by completing a clean sweep in set four, taking out 84 to level the tie as the pendulum continued to shift.
Williams was undeterred, however, following up a clutch 66 finish with a 13-dart hold to 2-1 ahead in set five, and a fourth 180 propelled the Welshman to a landmark victory.
“It’s one of the biggest wins of my career,” admitted Williams, who won his maiden PDC title at a Players Championship event in March.
“It was a tough game. I think it was tough for James as well, it’s his first game and he’s a fantastic player. I think I tried a bit too hard, but I dragged it out of myself at the end.”
Day Eight of the £2.5million event featured a star-studded cast at Ally Pally, and two-time World Champion Anderson marked his 52nd birthday with a hard-fought win over Madars Razma.
Anderson, who boasts more wins on the Alexandra Palace stage than any other player. came through a high-quality opening set with a 105 average, courtesy of 12, 15 and 13-dart legs.
Razma responded with 121 and 134 finishes in consecutive legs to restore parity, and a superb 154 checkout midway through set three gave the Latvian the opportunity to throw for a 2-1 advantage.
However, Razma squandered four darts at double for the set and paid the price, as Anderson conjured up 121 and 110 combinations in the latter stages to wrap up a 3-1 success.
“This is every dart player’s dream just to stand on this stage,” said the Scot, who is one away from registering a half-century of victories at the PDC World Championship.
“Even me – if I cannot smile coming here – this is the place that you need to be. It’s just a great atmosphere and a great place for the World Championship.
“I’m not sure if I can win it this year. My game is not even close to what it should be, but I keep trying, and I am practising a lot more.”
Fifth seed Luke Humphries also survived a scare to set up an explosive third round tie against Vincent van der Voort, after edging out Germany’s Florian Hempel in a five-set tussle.
Hempel, who defeated the-then fifth seed Dimitri Van den Bergh at this event 12 months ago, threatened to repeat the feat after claiming a scrappy opening set.
Humphries fired in back-to-back 12-darters in set two to draw level, and while Hempel edged back ahead, the Berkshire star produced another clean sweep in the fourth to send the match all the way.
The pair traded holds to kick off the fifth set, but after wiring the bull for a spectacular 170 outshot, Humphries returned to break via double eight, and then pinned the same target to complete the comeback.
“I played well in patches. Florian played well when I played well, and played badly when I played badly. It was a strange game,” reflected Humphries, who landed seven 180s to advance.
“I showed my resilience there and I think the experience I’ve gained over the last 18 months has allowed me win that game.
“I’ve got a different mindset now. You don’t get to number five in the world by throwing in the towel and I worked hard to get over the line there, even though I wasn’t at my best.”
Crowd favourite Van der Voort, meanwhile, raced to a straight sets win over debutant Cameron Menzies.
Van der Voort averaged almost 105 to clinch the opening set in style, and after taking out a crucial 121 finish en route to a 2-0 lead, he capitalised on Menzies’ outer ring woes to seal a straight sets win.
Earlier in the day, Van der Voort’s compatriot Van Duijvenbode came through the first tie-break of this year’s tournament, crashing in an incredible 12 maximums to edge out Karel Sedlacek in a five-set thriller.
Van Duijvenbode stormed to the opening set with a 108 average, and although an unfazed Sedlacek hit back to establish a 2-1 cushion, the three-time TV finalist responded to level at two apiece.
The Dutchman then produced a blistering barrage in set five, and despite landing six 180s and missing double 12 for a nine-darter, he was forced to survive a match dart at bull before sealing his progress.
“I have never felt this nervous in my life,” revealed Van Duijvenbode, who landed 11 perfect darts during a magical spell in the closing stages.
“I think it’s because I think I can actually do something this year. I started well and then the pressure kicks in, but in the end I won, so I’m happy.”
Elsewhere, Ryan Searle eased through to a Third Round clash against Jose de Sousa, producing a fine display of finishing to dispatch Czech youngster Adam Gawlas in straight sets.
Searle drew first blood with 100, 94 and 80 checkouts before punishing Gawlas’ doubling woes to open up a two-set cushion, and he wrapped up victory with a clinical two-dart 98 combination.
Mensur Suljovic also advanced to the third round with a 3-0 success, punishing a profligate display from Mike De Decker to set up a clash against three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen.
Meanwhile, in the afternoon’s curtain-raiser, Krzysztof Ratajski recorded a battling 3-1 win over Dutch debutant Danny Jansen to book a showdown with Belgian number one Dimitri Van den Bergh.
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World Darts Championship 2022/23 Day Eight Results
Thursday December 22
Second Round
Afternoon Session
Krzysztof Ratajski 3-1 Danny Jansen
Ryan Searle 3-0 Adam Gawlas
Mensur Suljovic 3-0 Mike De Decker
Dirk van Duijvenbode 3-2 Karel Sedlacek
Evening Session
Gary Anderson 3-1 Madars Razma
James Wade 2-3 Jim Williams
Luke Humphries 3-2 Florian Hempel
Vincent van der Voort 3-0 Cameron Menzies
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