Michael van Gerwen is into the semi-final of the World Darts Championship thanks to a pulsating 5-3 victory over Callan Rydz on New Year’s Day.
The two players had shown fantastic form to reach the last eight and there was no slowing down from either of them with a semi-final place on the line.
MVG won the first set and was never behind, but Rydz will feel like he did almost nothing wrong as he finished the match with a stunning average of 103.88, hitting 17 180s along the way and checking out at 46.15 per cent.
The Dutchman was just behind on all three of those scores, averaging 103.10, landing 14 maximums and finishing at 44.74 per cent, while Rydz even won more legs than his opponent by 18-17.
MVG was ahead in the only score that mattered, though, winning 5-3 in sets and securing a clash with Chris Dobey in the semis on Thursday.
‘He gave me everything, he didn’t stop throwing trebles,’ Van Gerwen said on Sky Sports. ‘You can see Callan Rydz is in good form, he kept throwing 180s and I was getting annoyed at a point.
‘I’m so glad about my performance, I’m happy. I think my game is in a good place. We are in a semi-finals so it doesn’t mean anything yet, I need to maintain my form.
‘The game had everything, drama, 180s, it was a good game. To be part of games like this it gives you a lot of joy. I’m over the moon, absolutely over the moon.
‘I’m still here and I believe in my own ability. This means a lot to me.’
Van Gerwen gets a crack at Chris Dobey in the semi-finals after another entertaining contest earlier on Wednesday which saw the Englishman beat Gerwyn Price 5-3.
Price won the first two sets and looked very strong but Dobey then won four on the spin to take a commanding lead as the Iceman’s doubles deserted him.
Hollywood then showed some nervous as he missed a string of match darts and then lost the seventh set, but he regained his composure and won the match in the eighth set with a memorable 92 finish with two double 18s.
Dobey admitted he had ‘never been so nervous throwing at a winning double as today’ as he earned a place in his first Alexandra Palace semi.
The win vanquished some demons for Dobey after a nightmare 5-4 loss to Rob Cross at the quarter-final stage last year from 4-0 ahead.
‘Thoughts did go through my head at the break, please not again, just go out there and prove that you can do it,’ he said. ‘Throwing to win the match was so nerve-wracking. I’m delighted and looking forward to the semi-final.
‘I do believe I can go on and win it, I just need to keep performing the way I am, start hitting doubles, but I really do believe I can go all the way.’
The remaining quarter-finals on Wednesday evening see Peter Wright take on Stephen Bunting and Luke Littler face Nathan Aspinall.
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