Third Round
The third round began with a tense affair between Michael Van Gerwen
and Terry Jenkins, in which Jenkins missed double 15 for the match
before Van Gerwen hit double five with his last dart in hand. Jelle
Klaasen then overcame Wes Newton to set up an all Dutch quarter final
with Van Gerwen.
Following the match Klaasen said, “I played very well in the first few
legs, and if I’d hit my doubles it could have been a better score line,
but I’m very happy with how I played.”
“Michael’s the number one and the best player in the world at the
moment, so I know it will be tough, but if I can play like I did at the
start of this game and hit my doubles, then I’ve got a good chance.”
John Part hoped to follow up his win last year in the UK Masters last
year and he was going about it the right way as he got the better of Kim
Huybrechts 6-2, in a match which set up a quarter final meeting with
Justin Pipe who came from 2-0 to defeat Paul Nicholson 6-4. Likewise,
Raymond Van Barneveld was in top form as he made light work of Adrian
Lewis with a 102.35 average .
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig
Two experienced players in Ronnie Baxter and Mervyn King then took to
the stage and Baxter was still able to produce the form of the previous
two days as he reached his first ever European Tour quarter final in a
last leg decider.
There was success for one of the PDC’s most consistent players Ian
White who dispatched Robert Thornton with a 6-3 victory which saw
him achieve seven perfect darts.
However, the third round was concluded with a Scottish victory as Gary
Anderson who saw Wayne Jones off 6-4.
Quarter Finals
The rapid Dutch duo of Michael van Gerwen and Jelle Klaasen got the
quarter finals under way. Van Gerwen opened with a maximum and
then went in to a 2-0 lead but Klaasen would level with a 122 finish and
double 10. The World Champion would then miss two match darts at
5-4 and 5-5 which allowed “The Cobra” to grab a surprise win with 25
checked out on double 6.
Justin Pipe was seeking his second European Tour victory and he reached
the semis by dashing the hopes of John Part in a 6-3 encounter. Pipe
who won the Austrian Darts Open in 2012 took out 130 on the bull to
set up a match with Klaasen.
“The Rocket” Ronnie Baxter could not be stopped as he saw off much
fancied Raymond Van Barneveld 6-2, checking out 80 on double 50 to
secure a semi final spot. It was also a maiden European Tour semi-final
for Gary Anderson with a dramatic comeback against Ian White 6-4. In
the final leg Anderson took out 220 in 4 darts with a 180 followed by
tops.
Photo: PDC/Lawrence Lustig