Boylesports World Grand Prix 2021 Day Three preview and order of play | Round Two commences in Leicester
The Second Round action commences at the 2021 Boylesports World Grand Prix on Tuesday as three of the four remaining seeds look to remain in the running.
A manic Monday at the Morningside Arena in Leicester saw three seeded stars fall at the first hurdle, with five-time champion Michael van Gerwen, 2018 runner-up Peter Wright and 2016 runner-up Gary Anderson all sent packing.
Those departures, alongside the likes of Nathan Aspinall and Brendan Dolan, have resulted in a wide open bottom half of the draw, with a first-time Boylesports World Grand Prix finalist now guaranteed.
Focus reverts back to the top half of the draw on Day Three as the format increases in this unique double-start event.
Gerwyn Price is bidding to become only the third player in the tournament’s history to successfully retain the title, and the Welshman steps up his quest with a tie against 2012 finalist Mervyn King.
Price, who won back-to-back European Tour events leading up to this event, put down an early marker by sweeping aside Michael Smith in straight sets with a 100.8 average on opening night.
The world number one is out to maintain his record of having reached at least the Quarter-Final stage of every televised tournament he has featured in this season.
King, meanwhile, averaged 25 points less than Price in his opener against Martijn Kleermaker and will be keen to raise his game accordingly against the sport’s current dominant force.
James Wade, the 2007 and 2010 champion, continues his pursuit of a second major title of the year when he faces his Ally Pally nemesis Stephen Bunting.
Bunting got the better of ‘The Machine’ in last year’s World Championship despite a sensational nine-darter from his opponent as he recovered from two sets down to snatch victory in the Last 32.
The Bullet, who went on to reach the Semi-Finals, began his campaign here in style by seeing off 2017 champion Daryl Gurney by two sets to nil with a 99 average.
Wade’s passage to Round Two was somewhat more dramatic, with the left-hander producing a majestic 121 checkout on the bullseye to deny Damon Heta in a sudden death leg.
Dave Chisnall, twice a beaten Grand Prix finalist, looks to continue his impressive record in this event by overcoming debutant Ross Smith.
Eighth seed Chisnall, who has reached a further two Grand Prix Sem-Finals in recent years, edged out Mensur Suljovic in a deciding set to get off and running on Sunday.
Smith, winner of a ProTour event this season, took advantage of an out of sorts Joe Cullen to prevail in straight sets and is now eyeing a place in a first major Quarter-Final since the 2019 UK Open.
The opening match of the night sees two in-form contenders collide as Ryan Searle takes on Luke Humphries.
The duo have been two of the most impressive performers on the ProTour so far this season and now look to be regularly replicating that form on the big stage.
Humphries, runner-up in March’s UK Open, claimed a debut win here at the expense of last year’s beaten finalist Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Searle also registered his first win in this event by dispatching fifth seed Dimitri van den Bergh in a tense last-set decider and is now on the cusp of a first appearance in a major ranking Quarter-Final.
The action gets under way from 7pm BST, with Second Round matches contested over the best of five sets.
All Sets are the best of five legs and there will be no tie break in any Set. All legs must begin and end with a double, meaning that a player must hit a double before he can begin scoring in each leg.
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Boylesports World Grand Prix 2021 Day Three Schedule of Play
Tuesday October 5
Second Round
7.15pm Ryan Searle v Luke Humphries
8.15pm James Wade v Stephen Bunting
9.15pm Gerwyn Price v Mervyn King
10.15pm Dave Chisnall v Ross Smith
