Michael van Gerwen was forced to withdraw from the PDC World Darts Championship after testing positive for Covid-19 before Tuesday’s clash against Chris Dobey, who advanced into the fourth round alongside Peter Wright (5/1 – PDC World Championship Outright), Rob Cross and Ryan Searle.
Tuesday 28th December Results:
Afternoon Session:
Steve Lennon 0-4 Mervyn King (R3)
Ryan Searle 4-2 Danny Noppert (R3)
Joe Cullen 3-4 Martijn Kleermaker (R3)
Evening Session:
Rob Cross 4-3 Daryl Gurney (R3)
Chris Dobey W/O Michael van Gerwen (R3)
Peter Wright 4-2 Damon Heta (R3)
Wednesday 29th December Order of Play:
Afternoon Session:
Jose De Sousa vs Alan Soutar (R3) – 12:30
Dave Chisnall vs Luke Humphries (R3) – 13:45
Nathan Aspinall vs Callan Rydz (R3) – 15:00
Evening Session:
Gary Anderson vs Ian White (R3) – 19:00
Gerwyn Price vs Dirk van Duijvenbode (R4) – 20:15
Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith (R4) – 21:15
Three-time champion Van Gerwen, last crowned champion in 2019, had his quest for a fourth title ended prematurely after he returned a positive Covid test, giving Dobey a walkover into the next round.
Peter Wright found himself 2-0 down against Damon Heta in the final match on Tuesday but the Scottish star changed his darts and subsequently reeled off the next four sets to win 4-2.
Elsewhere, 2018 champion Rob Cross (10/1 – PDC World Championship Outright) landed the ‘Big Fish, a 170 checkout, to clinch a thrilling 4-3 victory over Daryl Gurney, while there were also round-three successes for Mervyn King, Ryan Searle and Martijn Kleermaker.
The action at Ally Pally continues on Wednesday and there are three third-round matches taking place in the afternoon session, kicking off with Jose De Sousa against Alan Soutar (De Sousa 2/7, Soutar 13/5 – Match Betting).
De Sousa, the 2020 Grand Slam of Darts winner, edged past Jason Lowe 3-2 in the last round and he will need to be wary of Scotland’s Soutar, who knocked out 26th seed Mensur Suljovic to reach round three.
In Wednesday’s second match, Dave Chisnall (33/1 – PDC World Championship Outright) and Luke Humphries go head-to-head in what promises to be a cracker, while Nathan Aspinall against Callan Rydz round off the opening session.
Moving into the evening session and Gary Anderson, who lifted the trophy in 2015 and 2016 before losing in last year’s final, takes on Ian White in the final third-round encounter of the tournament.
At 20:00, defending champion Gerwyn Price faces Dirk van Duijvenbode (Price 1/4, Van Duijvenbode 3/1 – Match Winner) in round four, while Jonny Clayton takes on Michael Smith in the final match of the evening for a place in the quarter-finals (Clayton 4/7, Smith 7/5 – Match Winner).
PDC World Darts Championship Betting Odds