Phil Taylor eases through to the last-16 in Dublin
Phil Taylor made an encouraging start to the defence of his darts World Grand Prix title in Dublin by beating Brendan Dolan comfortably by two sets to nil.
The Power is chasing his 10th World Grand Prix, and was not put under pressure at all by Dolan when at times it looked as though he was playing in first gear.
The 15-time champion of the world broke Dolan’s throw and doubled his lead by checking out 101. Taylor took the opening set with no problems by hitting a 180 and finishing on double top. Taylor, who has suffered three first round defeats here- in 2001, 2004 and 2007- got into his stride, and he took the opening leg of the second set on double 16, then breaking the throw again to go 2-0 in front, before he completed the victory on double eight at the fourth time of asking.
“It's a very good start for me and I'm pleased to get the win,” said Taylor, who averaged over 102 in the match. “Brendan was a little bit nervous and it wasn't as easy as it looked. I was pretty relaxed and came through it well. My finishing was good and I'm very pleased with that.”
Taylor will now play Andy Smith, who beat Jamie Caven in the first match of the night 2-1. Having been sidelined for two months after surgery on an infected leg, Smith came from a set down to upset Caven in the deciding leg. Caven took the opening set, but would pay the price for missing doubles in the second. Smith hit a 180 in the deciding leg, and checked out 120 to take the win. “I'm pleased with that because I've been short of match practice recently,” said Smith.
Gary Anderson produced a remarkable comeback to beat Ronnie Baxter 2-1. The match was billed as the tie of the round, and it didn’t disappoint at all. Baxter won the first leg and finished on the bullseye on 130 to take the second leg. Anderson fought back by taking the next two legs, but Baxter landed double five to eventually clinch the opening set.
Baxter went ahead in the second set by landing double four and double two to move to within one leg of victory. With Anderson on the brink of defeat after Baxter missed three match darts, he staged an amazing fight back, checking out a superb 110, and then double four and double ten to take the match into the final set.
The Flying Scotsman had all the momentum, and he quickly raced into a 2-0 lead in the deciding set. Like Baxter, Anderson missed darts for the match, with Baxter hanging on to take the third leg. Anderson hit 160 and 123 to wrap up the win. “It was a game of two halves,” said Anderson, who hit six 180s in the game.
“He missed three darts to win the match...but I don't know how I won it. I panic a bit in the double-start format because I find it hard enough to hit a finishing double a lot of the time, never mind starting with a double.
“I've been having too many slack darts and I've got to tighten up a bit because if I up my game it doesn't matter who I play. I know how my darts should go and that's what's eating me away. Since I reached the final of the UK Open I've lost a bit of confidence and struggled with my shoulder but this win will spur me on a bit. I'm not playing my best darts at the minute but this may get me into gear,” said Anderson.
Terry Jenkins, twice runner-up at the World Grand Prix, was made to work for his 2-0 win by the fastest player on the circuit Vincent van der Voort. Dutchman Van der Voort led 2-0 in the first set, but Jenkins came back on double two before hitting consecutive double tens to take the set 3-2.
There were no such worries for Jenkins in the second set, as he took it by three legs to one. “He's usually such a quick thrower but I didn't need to slow him down and felt good because I was able to play my own game,” said Jenkins.
Steve Brown capped off his debut in the World Grand Prix with a 2-1 win over Steve Farmer. The first two sets went to the maximum of five legs, with Brown taking the first and Farmer levelling up the tie. That didn’t stop Brown, who stormed to a 3-1 win in the deciding set. “I'm chuffed to bits to get through,” said Brown.
The reward for Brown is a last-16 encounter with Wayne Jones, who beat world No.4 Meryvn King in the last match of the night. Jones came from two legs down in the first set to pinch it, but King forced the decider by taking the second set 3-2. King was unable to do anything in the final set, as Jones finished 74, 89 and 75 to seal the win. “I'm really chuffed to win through that match, very pleased,” said Jones.
Jackpot Adrian Lewis was a 2-1 winner over Alan Tabern, and showed flashes of brilliance at some times, averaging nearly 83 and breaking the throw three times. “I'm pleased I did that and showed my experience, and I feel good,” said Lewis.
Kevin Painter also went through to the next round last night by beating former world championship runner-up Mark Dudbridge 2-1. Dudbridge took the first set, but lost the next two as Painter found his rhythm. A match against Anderson awaits Painter. “The first round of this tournament, with a double-start format, it's just about getting through,” said Painter. “I didn't play that well but there's a lot of respect between us and I'm relieved to get through.”
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