Dan Dawson has teamed up with kwiff ahead of the PDC World Championship. The Sky Sports commentator will give his exclusive thoughts for the kwiff Community during the festive month of darts at Alexandra Palace.
– PDC World Darts Championship Round 4 Preview
– PDC World Darts Championship Round 3 Preview
– PDC World Darts Championship Round 2 Preview
PDC World Championship – Bigger And Better Than Ever
The biggest darts event in the world is finally here, and 96 players will be fighting it out for the Sid Waddell Trophy and the winner’s cheque of £500,000 over the next few weeks at Alexandra Palace. The strength in depth in the sport has never been stronger, and there is no dominant force at the very top of the game, hoovering up the biggest titles en masse, which means we could be in for a wide open tournament.
Cool Hand Luke
However, one man is making a move. Luke Humphries has been installed as the tournament favourite after catapulting himself into the very elite bracket of players over the last three months. “Cool Hand” has picked up three of the last four major titles, beginning with the Grand Prix, then following in quick succession with the Grand Slam and Players Championship Finals. In the space of 49 days, Humphries has gone from a serious challenger to being the man to beat.
His quarter of the draw is a dangerous one though, including his good friend “Heavy Metal” Ryan Searle, World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall, and the top player on the Pro Tour this year Dave “Chizzy” Chisnall – who has denied Humphries in European Tour finals three times this year. I do still expect Humphries to come through his quarter, but where’s the fun in backing title favourites, eh?
Surprise Packages
No, I am a man of hipster tendencies and particular tastes. I am looking for where the surprises could be; and the second quarter of the draw is where I believe there could be a whole range of seeded players (who enter at the second-round stage) go tumbling out of the tournament early. The one I fear for most is the world number 12 Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The aubergine farmer from the Netherlands was throwing better darts than anyone on the planet at the start of this year, reeling off three ranking titles and reaching two further finals, but his season was derailed by a leg injury that he sustained during an overly-enthusiastic walk-on in his home country.
Littler And Large
That set him back a bit, but the shoulder injury that followed looks like it could be one that ruins his career. In a similar time spell that Humphries has gone from being a serious contender to darts’ top boy, Dirk has gone the other way just as dramatically. I think either Keegan Brown or the brilliant (and massive) Croatian Boris Krcmar can knock him out.
I also believe that UK Open champion Andrew Gilding will be in serious danger from the sensational 16 year old Luke Littler. The teenager from Warrington has just been crowned World Youth Champion, will step up to take his place on the senior tour next year, and may be the most exciting young talent to emerge since Michael van Gerwen. He has a tricky first round tie against former Lakeside winner Christian Kist, but I expect him to deal with that, and I believe he can deal with Gilding as well. Some are predicting that Littler could go on to reach the latter stages at Ally Pally, but I think the real shock could come from another man in this quarter of the draw – Jim Williams.
Quiff For kwiff?
“The Quiff” (he doesn’t really have a quiff, it’s just a daft darts nickname) was a major winner in the WDF system, and picked up a title in his first year on the PDC circuit last year, but has ducked out of some tournaments to focus on his new business. This is a player of serious quality though, as evidenced by his win over James Wade on debut last year. This year should see him comfortably overcome Guyanese veteran Norman Madhoo and set up a meeting with two-time world champ Peter Wright in the second round – and it is a game I think Williams is quite capable of winning. If he does, and he assumes Wright’s position as number four seed in the draw, I think he may have a chance to go a long way in the event.
Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson appear to be on a collision course in the last 16 in this bit of the draw – they are incredibly heavy hitters, both former winners, and two of the in-form players this year. That means one of them will likely be waiting in the quarter finals, but Williams has beaten Price twice before and has run Anderson close a couple of times – he will not hold any fear should he go up against either. If you are looking for a dark horse to reach the semis, then Williams gets my vote.
A Christmas ‘Miracle’ For Mikuru Suzuki?
The most fascinating clash of the opening round though is the one between Ricardo Pietreczko and Mikuru Suzuki. Pietreczko became just the second German ever to win a ranking title in October, beating MvG and Peter Wright on the way to a European Tour crown. He has been totally unable to deal with hostile crowds in his career thus far though, and the fans will almost certainly be behind Japan’s Mikuru Suzuki in their first round match.
“The Miracle” very nearly became the first woman to win a game at the tournament back in 2020, losing a last leg decider to James Richardson just two days before Fallon Sherrock made history herself. Pietreczko could not cope with the fans’ support for Beau Greaves at the recent Grand Slam, and if he fails to deal with a potentially more raucous crowd on his Ally Pally debut, he is in for a whole world of trouble.
Red Flags For Bullyboy?
But what of the defending champion Michael Smith, you say? Many suggest he has not had a great year, that the weight of expectation has weighed too heavily upon him after his maiden world title 12 months ago, or that changing his darts has somehow ruined his game. I don’t buy it. He’s not had his best year, but he has won a handful of titles, and he has always been a somewhat inconsistent player. I think he will be ready for the title defence, but I think his biggest problem is that either Masters winner Chris Dobey or the huge-scoring Ross Smith could be waiting in the last 16. If “The Bullyboy” can make it past that hurdle, he is quite capable of going all the way again.
PDC World Darts Championship – Round 1 Selections
– Mikuru Suzuki to beat Ricardo Pietreczko at 5.50
– Boris Krcmar to beat Keegan Brown at 1.46
– Jim Williams to win Quarter 2 at 40.0
Prices are correct at the time of publication, but can fluctuate. Please Gamble Responsibly.
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By Dan Dawson
