The Power surges to the quarter-finals
Phil Taylor booked his place in the StanJames.com World Matchplay quarter-finals after beating Steve Beaton 13-4.
Taylor is aiming for an 11th World Matchplay darts title, and overcame the challenge of the former world champion comfortably. There were also wins for Dutchman Jelle Klaasen, the Artist Kevin Painter and Simon Whitlock.
Beaton started the match superbly, taking a 2-0 lead after breaking the throw. However, Taylor was given a route back into the game as Beaton missed four darts to go 3-0 up. Taylor reeled off eight legs in a row to stamp his authority on the match, taking out a 126 checkout and piling in 180s along the way.
“When I was 2-0 down I had to dust myself off and get into it, and the third leg seemed to let me back into the game. I was well under pressure in those early legs but I fought back and I'm delighted to win,” said the 15-time champion of the world.
Taylor will now play Painter in the last eight after he defeated Mark Walsh 14-12.
Painter produced an incredible comeback in the first round against Colin Lloyd, coming back from 8-2 down to win 11-9. Last night, he was involved in another tussle, and once again he found himself behind, this time at 4-1. Painter checked out 68 and 112 to level the match, and then hit a superb 171 to lead 5-4.
When Painter went 12-10 in front, Walsh hit a 180 and followed it up with an 81 finish to stay in the match. Painter however missed eight match darts, allowing Walsh to level. Painter held his nerve to edge 13-12 in front, and set up a match against Taylor by posting double eight.
“When I play I seem to make it hard for myself too often and I can't believe I missed those eight darts for the match at the end there. I thought I might throw it away to be honest. We scored very well but missed a few doubles along the way but I'm happy to get through that,” said Painter.
It is the first time Painter has reached the last eight, and he has had to do it the hard way.
“I've played here for 10 years without reaching the quarter-finals but that's not because of my performances because I've played well and been beaten. I thought it might happen again in this game. I started badly again but got myself into a nice position and pulled through. Until this year I've often come out of the blocks flying and it's been the middle of the game which holds me up, and it's a bit of a worry but I've shown a lot of bottle to come back in two matches,” he said.
Klaasen continued to show his true form by beating Gary Anderson 14-12 in an enthralling game. Anderson, runner-up at the UK Open to Taylor last month, hit the ground running, knocking in 180 and 168 in the first leg to lead, but Klaasen hit back to take a 3-1 lead. When Klaasen found himself 6-2 in front, Anderson won six of the next seven legs.
Missed doubles would cost the Scotsman dear, as Klaasen took full advantage to go 9-8 in front. Anderson didn’t give up, and produced great darts to lead 11-10 and 12-11, and when Klaasen went 13-12 in front, Anderson had five opportunities to stay in the match but missed, leaving his opponent to seal a fantastic win on double two.
“It was a great battle. It wasn't a game which would break records but it would have been a good game to watch for the fans and I enjoyed playing in it,” he said.
“I was 6-2 ahead but Gary played some brilliant darts to get back into it and it could have gone the other way if he'd not missed his doubles later on. Maybe I was a little bit lucky that he missed a few doubles and I know he has pain in his shoulder but I stayed calm, got the win and I'm in the quarter-finals so I'm glad with that,” Klaasen added.
The Dutchman will now take on Simon Whitlock after he beat Steve Brown 13-10. Brown beat Terry Jenkins in the first round, and produced a brave display against Whitlock, who has been battling with flu.
Whitlock trailed 3-2, but managed to turn the match around and lead 5-3. Brown was holding his nerve on the big stage, and checked out 107 and 118 to move 6-5 in front. When Whitlock went 10-8 up, Brown took out 96 to give himself some hope. However, Whitlock sealed the win with a 13-dart leg, finishing on double top.
“Steve played really well. We both started off a bit slow and got better during the game, and once he got into the game he really gave it to me and was a bit unlucky in the end. I hit a crucial double 10 to go 11-9 up and some of my finishes saved me. I felt good when I was playing but being under the weather with flu takes a lot out of you,” said Whitlock.
The Australian has been a sensation this year, reaching the world championship final and the semi-finals of the Premier League. Now, he is looking forward to playing the quick-fire Klaasen.
"I'm back for the quarter-finals and I don't know how I'll be yet. It will depend on how I sleep because I've not slept well for the past few days but I'll give it my all against Jelle. I played a bit quick against Steve but I'll try to play more of my own game on and slow Jelle down a bit. It won't affect me but it might help me out,” he said.
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