Cazoo World Darts Championship R32 day 1
The first day of the PDC Cazoo World Darts Championship R32 was a great one! We’ve already seen some very high quality matches! In this article we share all results of R32 day 1!
Van der Bergh versus Ratajski
Van den Bergh needed just over an hour in the first game after the Christmas break to win against Ratajski, who surprisingly reached the quarter-finals in 2021. The Belgian came easily to 2-0 in sets. In the second set, Van den Bergh threw a very creditable average of 112 per three arrows. After this, the level dropped somewhat, allowing ‘The Polish Eagle’ to 2-1. The Belgian then recovered and quickly ran out to 3-1 and 4-1. Van den Bergh may meet his compatriot Kim Huybrechts in the eighth finals. He must then win against Peter Wright on Tuesday evening.
Aspinal versus Rock
The second game of the day was a lot more exciting. In a true spectacle, Rock eventually defeated his two-time semi-finalist Aspinall in seven sets. ‘Rocky’ brutally took the lead, after which Aspinall put things in order and made it 2-1. In a high-level match, the fifth set seemed decisive. Rock won it after being tied at 2-2 in legs to take a 3-2 lead in sets. But ‘The Asp’ fought back and won the sixth set: 3-3. The last set surprisingly went to Rock, who managed to qualify for the next round. A good results for odds bets. Even though Aspinal was higher seeded, Rock was the favourites according to the bookies.
Clayton versus Dolan
Clayton immediately set the tone in the third pot of the day against Dolan, winning the first two sets 3-2. In the third set, Dolan had the opportunity to do something back, but he failed to bring the tension back with a 1-3 set win. Clayton equalized to win his third set in a row. In the fourth set it was Dolan who pulled the longest straw. Entirely in the sign of the match, this set was also determined in five legs. Hope returned cautiously in the eyes of ‘The History Maker’, but the fifth set drew Clayton, again 3-2. He can prepare himself for meeting Rock in the eighth finals.
Clemens versus Williams
Clemens was ahead twice (0-1 and 1-2), until Williams came to 3-2 in the 5th set. Then it was Clemens’ turn to fight himself back. The Quiff, the number 2 of the last ever BDO World Championship at Lakeside (2020), took a 2-0 lead in legs in set 6. The finish was in sight, but Clemens came back to 2-2 in legs. The German Giant, seeded 25, then survived a match dart. Williams failed. With 3 arrows in hand, Clemens was able to get to 3-3 in sets, and he succeeded: the last arrow went in D8. Clemens opened the final set by taking his own leg, in 15 darts. Williams did even better and came to 1-1 via a 13-darter. These men were certainly not shivering in the final phase: Clemens went over it with an 11-darter! The German got the hang of it and kept finding the trebles; while Williams showed off some pudding turns. Clemens finished it off in style: via the bullseye.
Price versus Van Barneveld
The 55-year-old Van Barneveld, who was in his thirtieth World Cup, started the match immediately with 180, but could hardly keep up with Price after that. He had to leave the first and second sets to his opponent from Wales, who only missed one arrow on a double in the first two sets. In the third set Price became a little less sharp on his doubles and Van Barneveld got an arrow at a 2-2 score to pull the set started by Price. Van Barneveld missed the double-8, after which Price still won the set. The fourth set also fell prey to Price, who managed to break Van Barneveld in the third leg. Price, who averaged 93.68, then threw 128 in the leg and painfully knocked Van Barneveld (92.64 average) out of the tournament. In the fourth round, Price, the world champion from two years ago, will face Ryan Searle or José de Sousa. That game is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.
Huybrechts versus Wright
Huybrechts and Wright didn’t even give each other much back then at Alexandra Palace in London. The Belgian number 31 in the world always struck at the decisive moments. In the end, Huybrechts scored an average of 91.50 points. Wright put an average of 91.28 points against that. Huybrechts will play against compatriot Dimitri Van den Bergh in the eighth finals. Earlier in the day, ‘The DreamMaker’ dealt with the Pole Krzysztof Ratajski.