On Day Four of the double-start showpiece at the Mattioli Arena, two former World Champions crashed out in a dramatic night of darts action.
James Wade secured a spot in his first quarter-final at the World Grand Prix since 2014 by comfortably defeating Gerwyn Price. Wade, a two-time champion, has struggled in the double-start competition over the past decade but put on a very accomplished performance to beat 2020 winner Price.
After a fiercely contested opening stanza that saw both players fired up, Wade managed to snatch the set on double ten after Price had leveled the match at 2-2. Wade then raced to the second set to double his lead, despite missing ten darts to start the second leg in the third set. Price briefly mounted a comeback with a 130 checkout, but Wade quickly gained the advantage to seal the victory on his favorite double ten.
Reflecting on his win, Wade remarked, “I don’t enjoy playing against Gezzy. It’s tough playing against such a good friend. He’s one of the nicest people in darts, alongside Jonny Clayton. I was good enough tonight. There were enough opportunities given to me and I took them, so I’m really happy to be back in the quarter-finals.”
Wade will now face De Decker in the quarter-finals, after the Belgian dominated his match against Gary Anderson. De Decker raced to victory in the opening set without reply and sealed the win with a brilliant 120 finish in the second set.
De Decker expressed his happiness with the win, saying, “I’m really really happy. I’ve always had a problem playing on stage, but this week it seems to be clicking. I did the right things at the right moments. The 120 finish in the second set was massive. I think that decided the game. I just want to play well tomorrow now. I’m not going too look too far ahead, and hopefully I can perform like I did tonight.”
In another thrilling match, Joe Cullen came from behind to beat Daryl Gurney in a five-set thriller and reach his first TV quarter-final since last year’s World Grand Prix. Cullen showed great resilience and fight to secure the victory.
Cullen stated, “I felt comfortable for most of the game. I didn’t doubt myself at any point. I’ve been struggling for the whole year, so I’ve been trying to rectify that by putting things in place and I think that showed tonight. I thought I showed great resilience and good fight, so bring on the quarter-finals!”
In the final game of the night, UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh defeated Dave Chisnall to secure his spot in the last eight. Van den Bergh showcased his talent with an impressive performance, hitting eight perfect darts in a stunning deciding leg to take the lead and eventually clinch the win.