Florian Hempel comeback stuns Dimitri van den Bergh as Van Barneveld and Dobey prevail

Florian Hempel produced a stunning comeback to dump Dimitri van den Bergh out of the World Darts Championship, while Raymond van Barneveld and Chris Dobey enjoyed impressive wins.

The penultimate day of action before the Christmas break saw eight Second Round ties take place at Alexandra Palace, with Hempel stealing the show thanks to a stirring fightback.

The German survived three match darts as he battled back from the brink to defeat Van den Bergh for the second time in three years at Ally Pally.

Van den Bergh punished an edgy start from the popular German to race into a two-set lead, and although Hempel halved the deficit in set three, the Belgian regained control to lead 2-0 in the fourth.

However, Hempel left Van den Bergh shell-shocked after conjuring up 151 and 84 skin-savers in consecutive legs, before crashing in a magical ten-darter to create a dramatic final set.

Hempel made it back-to-back ten-darters to draw first blood in set five, and he continued his rampant run to wrap up the deciding set without reply.

“I thought I was out of the tournament, but I’m still alive,” reflected Hempel, who converted 71 per cent of his attempts at doubles to cap off a remarkable display of finishing.

“The 151 was a big turning point for me. I started to play better and better. It is an amazing feeling. I am so emotional.

“I lost every feeling in my body when I was 2-0 up in the first set. I lost the feeling in my darts, but I managed to get it back, and this win is so special for me.”

Meanwhile, Dutch legend Van Barneveld – roared on by a partisan crowd – averaged 99.8 and pinned 11 of his 20 darts at doubles to defeat Polish debutant Radek Szaganski 3-1 in a high-quality affair.

Szaganski won the game’s opening leg, before Van Barneveld reeled off six without reply to assume control, wrapping up the opener with an 11-darter, and landing 86 and 104 checkouts to maintain his charge.

The spirited Szaganski followed up a 118 outshot with 15 and 13-dart legs to stay afloat in set three, but Van Barneveld kept his poise in a high-quality fourth set, sealing the deal with a two-dart 80 finish.

“I’m really satisfied with that performance,” admitted Van Barneveld, who will now meet Jim Williams in Round Three.

“Radek won a ProTour a few months ago, so I was warned. I knew it was going to be a tough game, but there was a lot of pressure on me tonight, so I’m really happy.

“The Ally Pally is what it’s all about. You can’t compare this tournament with any other; this is the one that every player wants to win.

“I’m still there and I’m a troublemaker. If I can play a really good game, I’m tough to beat.”

Masters champion Dobey registered the second-highest average of the tournament so far in his deciding-set success against Willie O’Connor, averaging 103 to end the Irishman’s resistance.

The pair traded the opening two sets, as O’Connor responded to Dobey’s blistering start by restoring parity with a 110 average in the second stanza.

The Bedlington star kicked off set three with a fabulous 11-darter on his way to establishing a 2-1 lead, although a 108 average in set four was not enough to seal the deal as O’Connor set up a thrilling climax.

However, Dobey – who landed ten maximums in the contest – capped off a sublime display in the fifth and decisive set to set up a Last 32 clash against Ross Smith.

“I knew what I was up against tonight,” said Dobey, who celebrated the birth of his second child, Chester, just two days ago.

“Willie is a fantastic player, and I’m just delighted to come through such a tough first game.

“It’s been a great few days for me. I haven’t got much sleep, but I’ve dealt with it well, and I’m really looking forward to going home and spending Christmas with the family now.”

Martin Schindler sealed his progress to the Third Round with a convincing 3-1 victory over Jermaine Wattimena.

Schindler won six of the opening eight legs to seize control, and while Wattimena responded with a roof-raising 170 checkout en route to clinching set three, Schindler stormed to the fourth to complete the job.

Boris Krcmar created some personal history in Friday’s afternoon session, dumping out 12th seed Dirk van Duijvenbode to become the first Croatian player to reach the Last 32 of the PDC World Championship.

Van Duijvenbode stormed to the opening set with a 108 average, before a clinical Krcmar responded by winning nine of the next ten legs to move through to a showdown against Gary Anderson.

Brendan Dolan will take on 2021 champion Gerwyn Price after Christmas, following victory in a gripping 78-minute contest against his former World Cup partner Mickey Mansell.

There was little to separate the pair throughout a high-quality tie, but it was Dolan who triumphed in a thrilling sudden-death leg, after Mansell had forced a last-leg shoot-out with a majestic 148 checkout.

Jeffrey de Graaf also moved through to round three for the first time, reeling off three consecutive sets to seal a 3-1 success against former Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa, averaging almost 116 in a stunning fourth set.

Elsewhere, 24th seed Krzysztof Ratajski recovered from a set down to battle past Jamie Hughes by the same scoreline.

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World Darts Championship 2023/24 Day Eight Results

Friday December 22

Second Round

Afternoon Session
Brendan Dolan 3-2 Mickey Mansell
Jose de Sousa 1-3 Jeffrey De Graaf
Krzysztof Ratajski 3-1 Jamie Hughes
Dirk van Duijvenbode 1-3 Boris Krcmar

Evening Session
Dimitri Van den Bergh 2-3 Florian Hempel
Martin Schindler 3-1 Jermaine Wattimena
Raymond van Barneveld 3-1 Radek Szaganski
Chris Dobey 3-2 William O’Connor