Three former World Champions and a former UK Open winner battle it out for the two remaining semi-final spots at the 2024 World Matchplay in Blackpool on Friday.
World number one Luke Humphries and 2007 World Matchplay champion James Wade have already secured their spot in the semis at the Winter Gardens, leaving two more places up for grabs in the bottom half of the draw.
Both of Friday’s quarter-final ties represent re-runs of previous major finals, kicking off with a showdown between three-time champion Michael van Gerwen and the unseeded Andrew Gilding.
Gilding famously defeated Van Gerwen 11-10 to capture his maiden major title at the 2023 UK Open, a lifechanging result for the unassuming Suffolk thrower.
Gilding, 53, has struggled to replicate that success in the 16 months since, but has recaptured his best form on the Empress Ballroom stage – where he had previously won just once in four appearances.
Goldfinger opened up with a 10-5 win over 2021 champion Peter Wright, before powering past Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski 11-5 to reach only his fourth major ranking quarter-final.
He now faces a player who knows exactly what it takes to go the distance in Blackpool, having triumphed in 2015, 2016 and 2022, making him the second most successful player in the 30-year history of the competition.
Van Gerwen, whose most recent major ranking title came at the 2022 Players Championship Finals, got off to a flying start by defeating Premier League champion Luke Littler 10-6 with a 102 average, before battling past Joe Cullen 11-8 in the Last 16.
The Dutchman will be determined to avenge that painful defeat at the hands of Gilding last March, in which he missed a match dart.
The second match of the evening features a repeat of the 2019 Betfred World Matchplay final between Rob Cross and Michael Smith.
Cross prevailed 18-13 on that occasion to claim this title for the first time, and he has since gone on to win the 2021 European Championship, as well as two European Tour titles and three World Series events.
The 2018 World Champion is through to the Last Eight in Blackpool for the first time since that memorable triumph five years ago, having survived six match darts from Gian van Veen in an epic 13-12 victory, before averaging 107 in an 11-6 defeat of Ryan Searle on Wednesday.
Cross won both of his Premier League meetings with Smith earlier this season, though their most recent encounter saw Bully Boy record a 6-0 whitewash in last month’s European Darts Open.
Smith is through to his fourth Matchplay quarter-final in the space of six years following a 10-5 win over Gary Anderson and a hard-fought 11-9 defeat of Chris Dobey.
World Cup winner alongside Luke Humphries for England last month, the St Helens star will be keen to ensure a different outcome against his 2019 nemesis on this famous stage as he chases down a third major title.
The action gets under way from 8pm BST, with Quarter-Final matches to be contested over the best of 31 legs.
Matches will be extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a sudden death leg is required. For example, in a first to 16 quarter-final, if the score reaches 18-18 then the 37th leg will be sudden death.
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