World Darts Championship 2022/23 | Day 11 preview and order of play
The Third Round action continues at the World Darts Championship on Wednesday with six scintillating ties at Alexandra Palace.
Reigning champion Peter Wright became the highest profile casualty of the tournament so far when he saw his title defence ended by Kim Huybrechts on Tuesday night, while Nathan Aspinall, Krzysztof Ratajski and Raymond van Barneveld also fell by the wayside.
Two multiple World Champions are among the star names to continue their quests for further glory on Day 11, as well as a trio of other current televised title holders.
The pick of the afternoon’s matches sees two-time World Champion Gary Anderson take on three-time major semi-finalist Chris Dobey.
The pair previously met at the Fourth Round stage in 2019, with Anderson recovering from 2-0 down to edge a gripping contest in a seventh set tie break.
Anderson, who opened up with a 3-1 win over Madars Razma before Christmas, is under pressure to defend his runner-up prize money from 2021 as he bids to avoid tumbling out of the world’s top 16 after a barren year of results in front of the TV cameras.
The Scot finished rock bottom of the Premier League table and suffered First Round exits at the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix, but boasts a strong record at Ally Pally, with five finals and two Semi-Finals to his name since 2011.
Dobey is making his seventh consecutive World Championship appearance and boasts a consistent recent record which has seen him reach the Fourth Round in three of his last four attempts.
The Tyneside thrower, who coasted past Martijn Kleermaker 3-0 in his opener, followed up a Quarter-Final run at the World Grand Prix by reaching the Semi-Finals of the European Championship later in October.
The opening tie of the day sees world number 16 and 17 collide as Ryan Searle takes on Jose de Sousa.
Searle, winner of a ProTour event in each of the last three seasons, boasts a solid record at Ally Pally, having reached the Fourth Round in three of his previous four appearances.
Searle has fallen at the Last 16 hurdle in three TV majors this year but began in convincing fashion by seeing off Adam Gawlas in straight sets before the Christmas break.
De Sousa pulled off a magnificent comeback from two sets down to deny Simon Whitlock in Round Two and bidding to avoid a third straight exit at the Last 32 stage here.
The former Premier League finalist has reached two Semi-Finals on the European Tour this season, as well as the Quarter-Finals of the World Matchplay, and remains one of the most formidable scorers on planet darts.
UK Open champion Danny Noppert, the number nine seed, comes up against Ally Pally specialist Alan Soutar.
Noppert joined the roster of first-time major champions when he claimed glory in Minehead in March and came close to following that up at the World Matchplay – losing out in the Semi-Finals.
Twice a runner-up on the Euro Tour this season, ‘The Freeze’ also picked up a Players Championship title and was a quarter-finalist in both the European Championship and Players Championship Finals – underlining his consistency on both floor and stage.
Soutar is vying to subject the Dutchman to a fourth consecutive Third Round exit at Ally Pally by moving through to the Last 16 for the second successive year.
The Arbroath ace powered past Mal Cuming and two-time major champion Daryl Gurney without dropping a set and will be quietly confident of continuing his love affair with the sport’s biggest stage.
The evening session sees Michael van Gerwen step up his pursuit of a fourth world title with a clash against former Champions League of Darts winner Mensur Suljovic.
Van Gerwen boasts a dominant head-to-head record over Suljovic with 19 wins from their 24 previous meetings, including the 2016 European Championship final.
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 put down an immediate marker upon his return to the capital by thrashing Lewy Williams in straight sets with a 101.8 average – dropping just one leg.
Suljovic, the number 30 seed, has never made it beyond the Third Round in 14 previous Ally Pally appearances but enjoyed a commanding straight sets win over Mike De Decker in his opener and now faces a formidable test against the red hot title favourite.
Reigning Masters champion Joe Cullen faces a familiar opponent in Aussie number one Damon Heta.
Cullen defeated ‘The Heat’ in the final of a Players Championship event in February, as well as in the First Round of the World Matchplay and World Grand Prix.
Making his 13th consecutive World Championship appearance, Premier League finalist Cullen is vying to reach the Fourth Round here for only the second time, having defeated Ricky Evans 3-1 before Christmas.
Heta is yet to progress beyond this stage of the competition in three attempts and has had to wait ten days for his return to action since dumping out two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis in straight sets.
The World Cup of Darts winner also picked up the Gibraltar Trophy title earlier this season as well as two ProTour titles and will be eyeing revenge on ‘The Rockstar’.
Reigning Grand Slam champion and two-time world finalist Michael Smith comes up against German number two Martin Schindler.
Smith got off to the perfect start by whitewashing Nathan Rafferty in nine consecutive legs on Day Two of the event and will be chomping at the bit to pick up from where he left off.
The world number four let a 5-4 lead slip in an eventual 7-5 defeat to Peter Wright in last year’s World Championship final but is now back at the palace as a major champion for the first time.
As well as runner-up spots at the UK Open and European Championship, Smith also claimed the Dutch Darts Championship title and three consecutive ProTour titles during the most memorable season of his career so far.
Schindler will be backed by around 800 German fans at Ally Pally as he looks to continue his landmark run, having registered a maiden win before Christmas.
The 26-year-old, runner-up on the ProTour this season, overcame Martin Lukeman 3-1 and is now eyeing what would be the most notable win of his career to date.
The action commences from 12.30pm GMT, with Third Round matches to be contested over the best seven sets, best of five legs per set.
Deciding sets 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 11 Schedule
Wednesday December 28
Third Round
Afternoon Session (12.30pm-4.30pm)
Ryan Searle v Jose de Sousa
Danny Noppert v Alan Soutar
Gary Anderson v Chris Dobey
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Joe Cullen v Damon Heta
Michael van Gerwen v Mensur Suljovic
Michael Smith v Martin Schindler
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