2017 William Hill World Championship – Final Preview
Monday January 2 (8pm)
Final
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Gary Anderson (2)
Van Gerwen
- In defeating Raymond van Barneveld 6-2 in the semi-finals Michael van Gerwen produced a World Championship record breaking average of 114.05; van Barneveld himself averaged 109.34 which is the highest ever losing average at a World Championship. It was an incredible match in which fifteen of the thirty two legs were won in 12 darts or fewer.
- Van Gerwen has reached the final having averaged over 103 in each of his five matches, his overall tournament average is 106.68.
- Van Gerwen’s lowest average at the 2017 World Championship (103.08 in his semi-final win over Daryl Gurney) is higher than any of the averages he produced when he reached the final in 2013 and 2014.
- His quarter-final win increased van Gerwen’s winning streak to 27 consecutive victories since losing to Daryl Gurney at the German Darts Championship in October. Since losing to van Barneveld in the last 16 at the 2016 World Championship van Gerwen has now won 39 consecutive matches in PDC televised ranking tournaments.
- Van Gerwen is aiming to win his seventh PDC major ranking tournament in a row, having previously won the UK Open, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals over the last twelve months. Van Gerwen has now reached the final in 13 of the 14 major ranking tournaments played since losing to Gary Anderson in the semi-finals at the 2015 World Championship.
- This is van Gerwen’s third appearance in a World Championship final; he lost 7-4 to Phil Taylor in 2013 and defeated Peter Wright by the same score in the 2014 final.
Anderson
- Gary Anderson defeated Peter Wright 6-3 to reach his third consecutive World Championship final and the victory extends his winning streak at the World Championship to 17 matches.
- Anderson’s tournament average is 104.10, which is ahead of his pre-final average during the last two World Championship tournaments.
- His total of fifteen 180s in his match against Wright means he has now hit the most of any player at the 2017 World Championship (Anderson has hit a total of 49). Anderson needs to hit sixteen 180s in the final to pass his record total of 64 at a World Championship which was set in 2015.
- This will be Gary Anderson’s 50th World Championship match (PDC and BDO included) since he made his debut at the Lakeside in 2002.
- Anderson is making his fourth appearance in a World Championship final and of course has won the title in each of the last two years, beating Taylor 7-6 in 2015 and Lewis 7-5 in 2016. In his first final back in 2011 he lost 7-5 to Adrian Lewis.
Head to Head (van Gerwen leads 22-13, they have also drawn once in the Premier League)
As you would expect Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson have met many times over the years, , and it is van Gerwen who holds a winning record overall in their head to head matches. The last time they faced each other was in the final of the World Grand Prix last October when van Gerwen won 5-2. Overall they met in three finals during 2016 with Anderson winning twice (at the Dubai Masters and Auckland Masters).
They have one win each from their previous two meetings at the World Championship, van Gerwen won 4-3 in the last 16 on his way to winning the 2014 tournament (that was Anderson’s last defeat at the World Championship), Anderson defeated van Gerwen 6-3 in the 2015 semi-final on his way to winning his first world title.
2017 William Hill World Championship – 29th December Preview
Thursday December 29
Afternoon Session (1pm)
Mark Webster (25) v Daryl Gurney (24)
Webster
- In the second round Mark Webster defeated the number eight seed Mensur Suljovic in a final set decider, Webster had led the match 3-1 only for Suljovic to claw his way back into contention before Webster won the final set without dropping a leg.
- Webster hit a total of eight 180s in his win over Suljovic that was his highest total in a World Championship match since he defeated Suljovic at the 2014 World Championship.
- His scoring in the second round was much improved from his first round match, his first nine dart average of 107.79 against Suljovic was 20 points higher than his first nine dart average against Murnan.
- Webster is through to the last 16 at the PDC World Championship for the fifth time, he has won three and lost one of his previous four matches at this stage of the tournament. Last year he exited the tournament in the last 16 at the hands of Alan Norris.
Gurney
- Daryl Gurney defeated number nine seed Robert Thornton 4-3 to book his place in the last 16. Gurney had won the first seven legs of the match to establish control at two sets to nil up, only for Thornton to hit back and lead 3-2 in sets. The response from Gurney was impressive; from a break down in the sixth set he won six legs in a row to seal the victory.
- His scoring and 180 count were both lower in the second round than the numbers he produced in round one, but his double success percentage of over 51% was significantly up from his match against Wattimena.
- This is Gurney’s first appearance in the last 16 at the PDC World Championship; he lost twice in the last 16 at the BDO World Championship (both times to Martin Adams).
Head to Head (Webster leads 3-2)
Webster holds the lead in their overall head to head win record but Gurney has won each of the last two matches between the pair, Gurney won 6-5 most recently in October at a Players Championship tournament. This is their first meeting in a major PDC tournament.
Dave Chisnall (7) v Jelle Klaasen (10)
Chisnall
- Dave Chisnall won 4-2 against unseeded Chris Dobey in round two; it was a very tricky tie for Chisnall and he finally managed to pull away from his opponent when they were locked at two sets each, by winning six out of seven legs to move through to the last 16.
- Chisnall’s scoring in the second round was below the levels he produced in his opening round win over Rodriguez. His match average dropped from 98 to 92 and his first nine dart average dropped from 110 to 101.
- This is his fourth appearance in the last 16 at the PDC World Championship, he has lost on each previous occasion that he has reached this stage of the tournament, the last two times in matches that went all the way into a final set (last year he went down 4-3 to Peter Wright).
Klaasen
- Jelle Klaasen had a 4-0 win over Brendan Dolan in the second round. Three of the four sets all went to a last leg decider so it wasn’t as comfortable as the score suggests.
- He has only dropped one set in the tournament so far.
- A big strength for Klaasen in his victory over Dolan was his doubling, he hit 60% of his attempts at double and overall in the tournament he has a very impressive double success percentage of over 56%.
- Klaasen is through to the last 16 at the PDC World Championship for the third time, he has won each of his two previous matches at this stage of the tournament which includes a thrilling 4-3 win over Phil Taylor last year.
Head to Head (Klaasen leads 5-3)
Jelle Klaasen has a lead in their overall head to head record but Chisnall won their most recent encounter 10-9 in the last 16 at last month’s Players Championship Finals. That victory came after Klaasen had won each of their previous four matches. This is their first meeting at the World Championship.
James Wade (6) v Michael Smith (11)
Wade
- James Wade defeated Steve Beaton 4-1 in the second round; it was a high calibre performance from Wade, his average was over 100 for the majority of the match, although it dipped fractionally under 100 by the end of the match.
- His final match average of 99.39 against Beaton was his second highest ever at the World Championship.
- Wade’s doubling has been impressive throughout his opening two matches, he’s had a double success percentage of over 50% in both games and his overall tournament percentage is 52.27%.
- Wade will be aiming to make it through to the quarter-finals at the PDC World Championship for the eighth time, having won each of the last 7 matches he has played at this stage of the tournament.
Smith
- Michael Smith has won two final set deciders to reach the last 16. Following on from his 3-2 win over Ricky Evans in round one he won 4-3 in an epic match against Mervyn King in round two, his match against King lasted 34 legs.
- His total of fourteen 180s in his win over King was his highest ever match total in a World Championship and increased his tournament total to twenty one.
- This is Smith’s fourth consecutive appearance in the last 16 at the PDC World Championship; last year he beat Benito van de Pas to reach the quarter-finals having previously been defeated at this stage of the tournament by Peter Wright and Stephen Bunting.
Head to Head (Wade leads 6-2)
James Wade has won each of their last five meetings including three wins during 2016. The last time they faced each other was in September at the Champions League of Darts when Wade won 10-5 in their group fixture. Smith’s last win against Wade was back in 2014 at a UK Open qualifier.
Evening Session (7pm)
Peter Wright (3) v Ian White (14)
Wright
- Peter Wright enjoyed a comprehensive 4-0 win over Jamie Lewis in round two and dropped just one leg in the process. Overall in his opening two matches he has won all seven sets he has played and has lost only three legs.
- His average of 103.53 against Lewis was his second ton plus average of the tournament and raised his tournament average to 102.40.
- Wright hit 75% of his double attempts against Lewis, his impressive finishing included checkouts of 144, 130 and 100.
- He is trying to make it through to the quarter-finals at the World Championship for the fourth time in a row.
- He has won through in last set deciders in two of his last three matches in the last 16 at the World Championship. Last year he won a 4-3 thriller against Dave Chisnall at this stage of the tournament.
White
- Ian White had a 4-1 win over Jonny Clayton in round two. He took control of the match to move into a 3-0 lead and despite losing a set he never looked in danger of letting the match slip away.
- The finishing of White has been his strength during the tournament so far. He has hit 50% of his double attempts.
- His average against Clayton was 92.6, meaning overall he has failed to average over 94 in each of his last five World Championship matches.
- This is the second time White has made it through to the last 16 at the PDC World Championship, on his previous appearance in the last 16 at the 2014 World Championship he won 4-3 against Richie Burnett and went on to lose 5-4 to Simon Whitlock in their quarter-final.
Head to Head (Wright leads 9-5)
Peter Wright has won nine of his previous fourteen matches against Ian White. They have faced each other four times in 2016 and Wright has been victorious in three of those matches, most recently winning 11-6 in the last 16 at the World Matchplay back in July.
Phil Taylor (4) v Kim Huybrechts (13)
Taylor
- In round two Phil Taylor won 4-0 against Kevin Painter to move through to the last 16 without dropping a set, overall he has only lost six legs in his opening two matches.
- Whilst his scoreline against Painter was convincing, the performance of Taylor wasn’t at the level he showed in his opening round. His average of 92.73 was his lowest in a World Championship match since he averaged 90.23 in defeating Jerry Hendriks in round two back at the 2013 World Championship (Taylor went on to win the title in that tournament).
- In each of the last two years, Taylor’s fixture in the last 16 at the World Championship has gone all the way to the final set. Last year he lost 4-3 to Jelle Klaasen at this stage of the tournament, the previous year he won 4-3 against Kim Huybrechts to reach the quarter-finals.
- Taylor has made it through to the quarter-finals at the World Championship in only two of the last five years.
Huybrechts
- Kim Huybrechts had a comfortable 4-0 win over Max Hopp in his second round match. Having taken control of the game in the first set he never looked likely to give his lead away, though it has to be said the pressure from Hopp was limited.
- Huybrechts has yet to lose a set at this year’s World Championship and he’s only dropped a total of seven legs.
- His overall performance against Hopp wasn’t at the same level he showed in his opening round win over James Wilson with his match average dropping from 98.66 to 92.76.
- He still has a very respectable double success percentage of 46.67% after two matches.
- Huybrechts is aiming to reach the quarter-finals at the World Championship for the first time since he managed it on his debut at the 2012 World Championship. Two years ago he was thwarted at this stage of the tournament by Phil Taylor in a final set decider.
- Each of his last four defeats at the World Championship have been in a final set deciders.
Head to Head (Taylor leads 10-1)
Phil Taylor has a good winning record against Kim Huybrechts having only lost one of their previous eleven meetings. The last time they faced each other was at the Austrian Darts Open in June when Taylor won 6-3 in the last 16 on his way to winning the tournament. As mentioned above they met at this stage in the 2015 World Championship with Taylor coming through a last set decider, Huybrechts had led that match 3-2 only for Taylor to win the final two sets.
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Darren Webster
Van Gerwen
- Michael van Gerwen was pushed very hard by Cristo Reyes in round two; it was a match of the highest quality where van Gerwen eventually won 4-2. The average of 106.07 of Reyes was the highest ever losing average in a World Championship match.
- That win increased van Gerwen’s winning streak to 24 consecutive victories since losing to Daryl Gurney at the German Darts Championship in October.
- Van Gerwen’s own average against Reyes was 105.24, which was the third time he has averaged over 105 within his last four World Championship matches. His overall tournament average so far after two rounds played is 104.67.
- His highest ever World Championship average of 109.23 came in a 4-0 win over Darren Webster in the second round at last year’s tournament.
- Van Gerwen lost at this stage of the tournament last year in an epic tussle against Raymond van Barneveld that went to a last set decider.
- Since losing to van Barneveld in the last 16 at the 2016 World Championship van Gerwen has now won 36 consecutive matches in PDC televised ranking tournaments.
Webster
- Darren Webster had a fantastic 4-0 win over the 17th seed Simon Whitlock in his second round match. Webster is the only unseeded player to reach the last 16 at this year’s tournament.
- His average against Whitlock was 104.64, that’s comfortably his highest ever average in a televised tournament and the fourth highest average of the 2017 World Championship so far.
- His doubling throughout the tournament so far has been very efficient, his overall double success percentage is 49% and he has recorded checkouts of 157, 147 and 140 (twice).
- Webster is aiming to make it through to the quarter-finals at the World Championship for the second time. The last time was ten years ago.
Head to Head (van Gerwen leads 10-1)
Michael van Gerwen has a very strong winning record against Darren Webster which includes a 4-0 win in the second round at the 2016 World Championship where Webster won just one leg and van Gerwen averaged over 109. Their most recent encounter last month in the semi-finals at the Players Championship Finals was a much closer affair with Webster taking a shock 6-0 lead before van Gerwen recovered to eventually win 11-8.
2017 William Hill World Championship – Day Nine Preview
Second Round
Friday December 23
Afternoon Session (1pm)
Ian White (14) v Jonny Clayton
White
- In the first round White had a 3-0 win over preliminary round winner Kevin Simm.
- He hit a crucial 130 finish after Simm had missed three darts at double to level the match at one set all.
- That 130 checkout was White’s highest ever checkout at the PDC World Championship.
- White’s average against Simm of 87.20 was his second lowest ever at the PDC World Championship.
- White is through to the second round at the PDC World Championship for the third time, he has won one and lost one of those matches (both games were against Kim Huybrechts).
Clayton
- Jonny Clayton defeated 19th seed Gerwyn Price 3-1 in the opening round to make a winning start on his World Championship debut.
- Clayton recovered from losing the opening set against Price to win three sets in a row to ensure his place in round two.
- A 116 finish for Clayton in the final leg of the 2nd set was pivotal and he followed it up with a 120 finish in the first leg of the 3rd
- He hit just a single score of 180 against Price which came in the 2nd leg of the match so he has gone 16 legs since last hitting one.
Head to Head
This is the first competitive meeting between Ian White and Jonny Clayton
Michael Smith (11) v Mervyn King (22)
Smith
- Michael Smith twice had to come from behind to defeat Ricky Evans 3-2 in the first round.
- Trailing 2-1 in sets and 1-0 in the 4th set he won six legs in a row to win through to the second round.
- His highest checkout against Evans was 143; Smith has now had a checkout of at least 130 in eight of his last ten World Championship matches.
- Smith is through to the second round for the fourth consecutive year and he has a 100% winning second round record, with wins against Phil Taylor, Brendan Dolan and Steve Beaton.
- He has averaged over 95 in each of his last 9 World Championship matches
- Smith needs nine 180s to bring his total to 100 180s scored overall in World Championship matches.
King
- Mervyn King won 3-2 in an epic tussle against Steve West in round one; it was a match that went all the way to a tenth leg in the fifth and final set.
- He had trailed by two sets to nil and had to survive missed match darts from West to keep his tournament hopes alive. King impressively checked out 136, 140, 95 and 106 within the space of six legs during the match.
- He is aiming to get through the second round for only the second time since the 2009 World Championship.
- King’s only win at this stage of the tournament since 2009 was against Ricky Evans three years ago.
- He has only had one match average over 95 during his last eight World Championship matches.
- King has never won a PDC World Championship match against a higher seeded opponent or indeed an opponent seeded in the top 16.
Head to Head (King leads 6-3)
Mervyn King has the overall lead in their head to head record but Michael Smith has the upper hand in recent meetings having won three out of their last four encounters. This is the first time they have faced each other since 2015.
Benito van de Pas (15) v Terry Jenkins (18)
Van de Pas
- Benito van de Pas overcame preliminary round winner Tengku Shah 3-1 in the first round, van de Pas crucially won the opening set despite Shah having first dart at double in all five legs.
- The doubling of van de Pas was the most impressive part of his game in the opening round; he hit 61.1% of his attempts.
- He has never failed to get through round two in two previous attempts, having defeated Dave Chisnall and Dimitri Van den Bergh (he won both matches 4-2).
Jenkins
- Terry Jenkins came from a set down to win 3-1 against Josh Payne in his opening round match of the tournament.
- Jenkins had missed darts at double to win the opening set, from there he went on to win nine of the next twelve legs, although he did have to survive missed darts from Payne which would have taken the match into a deciding set.
- That run of winning legs from Jenkins included impressive back to back checkouts of 140 and 121 in the fourth set.
- He exited the tournament in the second round last year with a 4-0 defeat against Mark Webster.
- Jenkins has never registered a win at the World Championship against a higher seeded opponent.
Head to Head (Benito van de Pas leads 3-2)
Benito van de Pas and Terry Jenkins have met five times previously with neither player establishing a run of more than one win in a row. They have faced each other twice in 2016 with Benito van de Pas taking the honours most recently in the last 16 at the World Grand Prix.
Evening Session (7pm)
Darren Webster v Simon Whitlock (17)
Webster
- Darren Webster came from behind twice to defeat 16th seed Stephen Bunting 3-2 in an enthralling first round match. Webster had to survive seven missed match darts at double from Bunting in the fifth set.
- During his win over Bunting he hit eight 180’s and took out big finishes of 157, 147 and 140.
- This is the third year in a row that he has made it into the second round; though he has suffered exits against Dean Winstanley and Michael van Gerwen in the last two years.
- Webster’s only World Championship appearance when he progressed further than the second round was ten years ago.
Whitlock
- Simon Whitlock only dropped one leg in a comfortable 3-0 win over preliminary round winner Dragutin Horvat to reach round two for the first time in three years.
- Whitlock closed out the match with checkouts of 170 and 158 in the final two legs of his match winning third set.
- He has a 100% winning record in the second round at the PDC World Championship having played six matches and won them all at this stage of the competition.
- During his six second round wins at the PDC World Championship he has played 26 sets and won 24 of them.
Head to Head (Darren Webster leads 3-1)
Darren Webster has the winning record over their four previous meetings and has won their two most high profile encounters. The first time they met was in the first round of the 2015 World Championship where Webster won 3-1 and their most recent meeting was last month at the Players Championship Finals when Webster won 6-3 on his way to reaching the semi-finals.
Gary Anderson (2) v Andrew Gilding
Anderson
- Reigning champion Gary Anderson had a very comfortable 3-0 win over Mark Frost on the opening night of the tournament.
- That win was Anderson’s 13th win in a row at the World Championship having not lost since van Gerwen defeated him back in December 2013.
- Since losing in the second round on his debut at the PDC World Championship he has never failed to get past second round in six attempts.
- Anderson has never been defeated by an unseeded player at the PDC World Championship.
Gilding
- Andrew Gilding came from two sets down to win 3-2 in a titanic first round battle against John Henderson in round one. It was a match that went all the way to the eleventh and final leg in the fifth set.
- Gilding had impressively taken out back to back checkouts of 101 and 143 to take the match into the final set.
- During the match against Henderson he hit a total of eight 180s which is his highest total in a World Championship match.
- This is Gilding’s second successive appearance in the second round, last year he was soundly beaten 4-0 by Adrian Lewis at this stage of the tournament.
Head to Head (Gary Anderson leads 3-0)
This will be the fourth time they have met and Gary Anderson has yet to taste defeat against Gilding, though all three matches went to a last leg decider (6-5 in each case). All three encounters were in non-televised tournaments.
Adrian Lewis (5) v Joe Cullen (28)
Lewis
- Adrian Lewis came through the first round with a 3-0 win over Magnus Caris, extending his record of having never lost in the opening round at the World Championship.
- In eleven previous second round World Championship matches he has only ever lost once, that defeat came at the 2009 World Championship against Paul Nicholson.
- Last year’s second round 4-0 win over Andrew Gilding was the first time he had won his second round match without dropping a set.
- Lewis has averaged over 100 in the second round in each of the last three years.
- Overall in best of 7 set matches at the World Championship his record is: Played 21 Won 18 Lost 3 (all 3 defeats were in a last set decider).
Cullen
- Joe Cullen came through a very tough first round match against Corey Cadby, Cullen eventually winning 3-1 after losing the opening set.
- It was a match of the highest quality, after three sets Cullen was averaging 109 and Cadby was averaging 107.
- This is the first time that Cullen has appeared in round two of the World Championship having ended a run of six consecutive first round defeats.
Head to Head (Adrian Lewis leads 9-1)
Adrian Lewis has a very good overall win record against Joe Cullen having won nine of their ten meetings, including nine in a row after Cullen won their first encounter. Digging a little deeper into the results shows the recent matches between them have been very close despite the dominance of Lewis; five of their last six matches have gone all the way to a last leg decider. This will be their first meeting in a televised tournament.
2017 William Hill World Championship – Day Eight Preview
Thursday December 22 (7pm)
Jelle Klaasen (10) v Jeffrey de Graaf
Klaasen
- 2006 BDO Champion Jelle Klaasen is competing at his 11th World Championship tournament (it’s his 9th PDC World Championship appearance).
- Last year he had his best run at the PDC World Championship when he reached the semi-finals before losing to Gary Anderson, earlier in the tournament Klaasen had defeated 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor in the last 16.
- It was also Gary Anderson who ended Klaasen’s World Championship hopes two years ago, Klaasen had led their last 16 encounter 3-1 only for Anderson to produce a tremendous performance in winning the final 3 sets.
- Overall Klaasen has won 4 and lost 4 of his 8 previous first round matches at the PDC World Championship.
- His average of 102.54 against Joe Cullen in the first round last year was his highest ever World Championship average.
de Graaf
- Jeffrey de Graaf is making his PDC World Championship debut having made the switch from the BDO earlier this year. He appeared at the Lakeside in each of the last four years but failed to get through the first round on each occasion.
- Two of his four first round defeats at the Lakeside came against fellow Dutchmen; he lost on his debut to Jan Dekker and last year he was beaten by Richard Veenstra.
- He has yet to reach a ranking tournament quarter-final on the PDC tour but has posted a 9 dart finish already during his time in the PDC (the 9 dart finish was away from the TV stage in a Players Championship tournament in September).
Head to Head
This is the first time Klaasen and de Graaf have met in a PDC tournament.
Vincent van der Voort (20) v Max Hopp
van der Voort
- Vincent van der Voort is appearing at his 10th consecutive PDC World Championship, overall it’s the 16th time has appeared at a World Championship tournament having featured 6 times at the Lakeside during his time in the BDO.
- He has a perfect record in the first round at the PDC World Championship, having won all of the 9 first matches he has played so far.
- Van der Voort has never lost to an unseeded player at the PDC World Championship; he has played a total of 12 matches against unseeded players and has won them all.
- Seven of his nine defeats at the PDC World Championship have been against players seeded in the top eight; the other two defeats came against world finalists Kevin Painter and Andy Hamilton.
- The only players to have beaten van der Voort at the PDC World Championship are Gary Anderson, Phil Taylor, James Wade (twice), Adrian Lewis (three times), Kevin Painter and Andy Hamilton.
Hopp
- 20 year old Max Hopp is competing at the PDC World Championship for the 5th consecutive year. He has exited the tournament in the first round in 3 of his previous 4 visits to the Alexandra Palace.
- His only first round win came against Mervyn King two years ago in a match that went all the way to a deciding set. Hopp’s average in that match was over 96 and he hit an impressive total of 10 180s.
- It was van der Voort who defeated Hopp in the second round two years ago, winning four sets without reply.
Head to Head (van der Voort leads 2-0)
They have met twice previously and van der Voort has taken the honours on both occasions. As mentioned above they played at the World Championship two years ago with van der Voort winning 4-0, their most recent encounter was in September at the European Darts Trophy where the Dutchman won 6-1.
Dave Chisnall (7) v Rowby-John Rodriguez
Chisnall
- Former BDO finalist Dave Chisnall is making his 9th consecutive World Championship appearance, it’s his 6th time in the PDC World Championship and he is yet to go further than the last 16.
- Chisnall is the number 7 seed at this year’s tournament, he has been the number 7 seed before (3 years ago) on that occasion it wasn’t lucky number 7 as Chisnall suffered his only first round defeat at the PDC World Championship when he lost 3-2 to John Henderson.
- All four of Chisnall’s first round victories at the PDC World Championship have been won without dropping a set (including a 3-0 win against Rowby-John Rodriguez last year).
- Chisnall has reached two TV tournament finals during 2016 (Masters and Players Championship Finals).
Rodriguez
- Rowby-John Rodriguez is participating at the PDC World Championship for the third year in a row and he is looking to get through the first round for the first time.
- He has yet to win a set at the World Championship having lost 3-0 to both Raymond van Barneveld and Dave Chisnall.
- His average against van Barneveld two years ago was 79, last year against Chisnall it was 89, is he due a 99 average this year?
Head to Head (Chisnall leads 2-1)
Chisnall leads their overall head to head record with two wins to one, but it was Rodriguez who came out on top when they last met (at a UK Open qualifier back in February). Both of Chisnall’s wins have been in TV tournaments, he won a group stage match at the 2014 Grand Slam as well as their first round match at last year’s World Championship as mentioned above.
Kim Huybrechts (13) v James Wilson
Huybrechts
- Kim Huybrechts is making his 6th consecutive PDC World Championship appearance; his best performance came on his debut when he reached the quarter-finals before losing to eventual runner-up Andy Hamilton.
- He has lost in the first round on two occasions, and both defeats were in last set deciders against unseeded players (Scott Rand in the 2013 World Championship and Dave Pallett last year).
- Huybrechts has hit a ton plus checkout in each of his last 10 World Championship matches.
- All five of his World Championship defeats have been against Englishmen (Andy Hamilton, Scott Rand, Ian White, Phil Taylor and Dave Pallett).
Wilson
- James Wilson is making his PDC World Championship debut, though he did feature on 3 occasions at the Lakeside during his time in the BDO. His best performance at the Lakeside was a run to the quarter-finals in 2014 where he was eventually beaten by Alan Norris.
- At a Players Championship tournament in September he reached his first ranking final since he switched to the PDC, he also reached three consecutive semi-finals on the PDC circuit during the summer.
- His best performance in a TV ranking tournament this year was a quarter-final appearance at the European Championship, on his way to the quarter-final he defeated Kim Huybrechts in round one.
Head to Head (Huybrechts leads 2-1)
Kim Huybrechts has won 2 of their 3 previous meetings but it was Wilson who came out on top the last time they played, which was at the European Championship only a couple of month ago (as mentioned above). The previous two matches which went the way of Kim Huybrechts were both played in 2015 in non TV tournaments.
2017 William Hill World Championship – Day Seven Preview
Wednesday December 21 (7pm)
Zoran Lerchbacher v Simon Stevenson – Preliminary Round
Lerchbacher
- Zoran Lerchbacher is returning to the PDC World Championship for the 2nd time having made his debut 3 years ago where he defeated Ben Ward in the prelim round before losing 3-0 to the eventual champion Michael van Gerwen in round one.
- Lerchbacher qualified for three European Tour events during 2016, reaching the last 32 at the Austrian Darts Open and European Darts Trophy. His best match performance in those tournaments was a 6-2 win over Joe Murnan where he averaged 94.55.
Stevenson
- Simon Stevenson is appearing at the PDC World Championship for the first time. This is his first full year on the PDC tour having won his tour card at Q School last January.
- Stevenson reached his first PDC ranking quarter-final in August at a Players Championship tournament where he defeated James Wade and Alan Norris along the way before losing to James Wilson.
- On his Players Championship Finals debut at the end of November he lost in the opening round, but had led Jelle Klaasen 4-2 in their best of eleven leg match.
Mensur Suljovic (8) v Ron Meulenkamp
Suljovic
- Mensur Suljovic is appearing at his 10th World Championship tournament, it’s his 9th time at the PDC World Championship; he made his World Championship debut at the Lakeside in 2002.
- His best performance in the PDC World Championship came last year when he reached the last 16 before losing to Adrian Lewis. Prior to last year he lost 3 consecutive first round matches at the World Championship.
- Suljovic has beaten some big names in World Championship matches, notably Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Peter Manley. Suljovic was the last player to beat van Gerwen in the first round of this tournament.
- In September he won his first PDC ranking tournament when he defeated Kim Huybrechts 6-5 in the final of the International Darts Open.
- He has appeared in three further finals since then including reaching his first TV tournament final at the European Championship in October, during that tournament he won back to back matches against Phil Taylor and Peter Wright.
Meulenkamp
- Ron Meulenkamp is competing at the PDC World Championship for the 2nd time, matching his two appearances at the Lakeside during his time in the BDO.
- He has lost in the first round in each of his three World Championship appearances so far. On his PDC debut two years ago he exited the tournament against Mark Webster.
- At the recent Players Championship Finals he registered notable wins in back to back matches against Stephen Bunting and Gary Anderson.
Head to Head (Suljovic leads 1-0)
There has been just one previous meeting between Suljovic and Meulenkamp, this was way back in 2009 at a Players Championship tournament and Suljovic won 6-5.
James Wade (6) v Ronny Huybrechts
Wade
- James Wade is competing at his 15th consecutive World Championship tournament (13th in the PDC following 2 appearances in the BDO).
- Despite being a multiple major champion Wade has yet to appear in a World Championship final, his best efforts so far have been two semi-final appearances (he lost to Adrian Lewis in 2012 and Michael van Gerwen in 2013).
- Wade has a very consistent record of getting through the opening rounds; he hasn’t lost in the opening round since the 2006 World Championship (10 consecutive first round wins) and has appeared in the quarter-finals in 7 of the last 9 years.
- Seven of Wade’s last nine defeats at the World Championship have been against players who have won a World Championship (either before or since).
- Wade hasn’t yet registered a match average of over 100 in a World Championship match; though he came very close against Devon Petersen three years ago when he averaged 99.92.
Huybrechts
- Ronny Huybrechts is appearing in the PDC World Championship for the 4th consecutive year since making his first round debut in a defeat against his brother Kim at the 2014 tournament.
- He has won his first round match in each of the last two years (winning against Andy Smith and Dean Winstanley), only for Peter Wright to end his tournament in the second round on both occasions.
Head to Head (They are level with 2 wins each)
Wade and Huybrechts have shared two wins each in their four previous meetings, but both of the last two matches have gone the way of Ronny Huybrechts, including a 6-4 at the 2014 European Championship in their only prior TV meeting. This is the first time they have faced each other since September 2015.
Robert Thornton (9) v Lerchbacher/Stevenson
Thornton
- This is Robert Thornton’s 11th World Championship appearance (his 9th consecutive appearance in the PDC World Championship).
- He made two quarter-final appearances in the BDO and his best showing in the PDC has also been a run to the quarter-finals (at the 2015 World Championship).
- Last year he was beaten 3-0 in the first round by Alan Norris, it was the first time he had lost in the first round at the PDC World Championship and in fact all of 9 of his World Championship match defeats prior to last year came against top 8 seeded players.
Head to Head
Robert Thornton played Simon Stevenson in April at a Players Championship tournament and won that encounter 6-1.