Dave Chisnall has been knocked out of the World Darts Championship after a dramatic loss to Ricky Evans in the final, while former world champion Rob Cross was also knocked out in a stunning session at Alexandra Palace.
Chisnall won the opening set of a topsy-turvy contest but had to recover from 2-1 down to extend the epic clash into the final set, with both players surviving a match dart to take an extra leg.
Evans checked out for 110 to go ahead and saw Chisnall recover from a shocking mistake in a thunderous finish to keep the throw alive. ‘Rapid Ricky’ claimed the final leg of the match, sending him towards another seed. Early exit.
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Actor Shaun Williamson belted out back-to-back hits for Alexandra Palace fans at the World Darts Championships.
An epic pre-Christmas session saw Daryl Gurney win final set deciders over Florian Hempel and world youth champion Gian Van Veen, while Cross lost 3-1 to Scott Williams in the final match of the evening.
Cross’ early exit made him the 14th seed to be eliminated in the second round, a new record for this stage of the competition. Williams secured the final spot last year when he lost to eventual champion Luke Humphries in the semi-finals. Last 32 days.
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A record-breaking 14 seeded players have now been eliminated in the second round of the World Darts Championship. Here’s a quick look at some of the key moments from round two:
An early Christmas classic in an amazing session
Evans got into a festive mood with a Christmas-themed t-shirt and Shakin Stevens walk-on track, but Chisnall took early control, opening with a 12-dart break and holding the next throw.
Chisnall responded to Evans’ stunning 126 checkout and clinched the set on 15 darters, missing a ‘Big Fish’ try, but squandering D5’s set dart in the final leg of the second leg to allow ‘Rapid Ricky’ a break draw and level. I did it. .
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Just after Chisnall almost reached a 170 checkout, Evans hit a big 126 to fight back in set one.
Evans sealed the third set with 13 darters to take the lead, but watched Chisnall fight back with a clean sweep in the fourth set. ‘Chizzy’ had to come from behind on three occasions to lead a gripping decider.
Both players missed match darts in a chaotic finish. Evans extended the match with a stunning 110 checkout before moving his legs wide to find a 17-dart hold to attempt a break.
Ricky Evans knocked out Dave Chisnall in a dramatic second round fight at Alexandra Palace.
Chisnall survived an untimely miscalculated finish to find the ‘Mad House’ on his next visit and take the set into the 11th and final leg. Here, Evans came out on top, crossing the finish line in 52 and sparking wild celebrations.
“I played against some world-class darts players there and played pretty well.” evans told Sky Sports. “It’s nice to win a game and say I played well. Normally that’s boring! I wish I had beaten Chizzy 3-0 because then my ticker would have moved a little slower!”
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Evans gave a brilliant and entertaining post-match interview with Abigail Davies and poked fun at the Alexandra Palace crowd who supported him during the win over Chisnall.
As the Cross progresses, Gurney survives the horror.
Another upset saw Gurney look at the cards when he was down a set against Hempel, who was on the verge of taking the second set to a decider when the Northern Irishman broke 15 darters and checked out for 156 to level the match. .
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Daryl Gurney hit a big 156 against Florian Hempel to make it 1-1.
Hempel took the third set at straight leg and moved within winning legs in a tight fourth, before Gurney delivered successive 13-dart legs to level the match and then break the German early in the decider.
Gurney blocked the next pitch to close out a hard-fought win, setting him up to face seventh seed Jonny Clayton in the third round, while Cross was another high-profile exit after a disappointing loss to Williams.
Rob Cross was another player eliminated in the second round.
Cross had a draw in the final leg of the opening set, Williams had her second for 14 darts in another deciding leg and the contest also threatened to go the distance when Cross checked out for 130 at the start of the third set.
But Williams took advantage of Cross’s poor finishing to win the next three games to take the set ahead, securing victory in the next set and getting revenge on the Briton from two years ago by hitting a 14-darter. Last leg.
Elsewhere, Van Veen missed eight darts to break his opponent in a poor opening leg as Pietreczko cruised through the opening set, but he held on for a brilliant 12-dart hold with a checkout of 127 en route to leveling the contest in the second. responded by firing.
Pietreczko went ahead at 122 in the third set, winning at straight legs, then beat Van Veen by 16 darters to grab a draw in the next round to advance to the third round for the second straight year.
Clayton wins the final match and Rock gets wind of it.
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Jonny Clayton and Mickey Mansell battled it out in an epic final set that included a 3-ton finish, a 10-dart leg, multiple match darts and a sudden death finish.
Previously, Clayton had looked to be cruising to the finish line with six successive wins, but Mickey Mansell forced a deciding set and then produced massive 136 and 154 finishes to move within a leg of victory.
The Welshman won the next two legs to extend the contest and both players missed a match dart to take the set to a final leg penalty shootout, where he found a way to get over the line with a dart.
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Mansell scored 136 and scored 154 in the deciding set against Clayton.
Elsewhere, Josh Rock beat Rhys Griffin 3-0, losing just two legs, to move into a last-32 tie with Chris Dobey, while also passing the other two seeds in action on Monday afternoon.
Poland’s No.1 Krzysztof Ratajski beat Alexis Toylo 3-1 and Andrew Gilding beat Martin Lukeman by the same score. Ratajski now faces Kevin Doets, who stunned former world champion Michael Smith, while Gilding faces Nathan Aspinall.
When will the third round take place?
Darts returns after Christmas on 27 December, with four consecutive double sessions at Alexandra Palace, with the third and fourth rounds completing until 30 December.
World number one Luke Humphries played Nick Kenny in Friday evening’s session, while Premier League champion Luke Littler headlined Saturday night’s clash with Ian White.
Elsewhere, Michael van Gerwen faces Brendan Dolan (Saturday) and fellow former world champion Gerwyn Price faces Joe Cullen (Friday).
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Luke Littler took the final set against Ryan Meikle in just 32 darts to set up a third round meeting with Ian White.
Players will have a break on New Year’s Eve ahead of the quarter-finals, which will be held over two sessions on New Year’s Day, with the semi-finals on January 2 and the final on Friday, January 3.
You can find the full daily schedule for this year’s tournament. here.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and other top sports with NOW
