PDC World Darts Championship: Peter Wright exit blows bottom half of draw | Darts News

Round four of the PDC World Championship kicks off Tuesday night, as Gabriel Clemens takes on Krzysztof Ratajski and Joe Cullen takes on Michael van Gerwen. Watch all the action live on our dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.

Either Clemens or Ratajski will be in the quarterfinals

Peter Wright, Rob Cross, Nathan Aspinall. Three of the world’s top six fell in the bottom half of the PDC World Championship.

And as the seeds fall, the opportunity presents itself for some black horses.

The shadow of Michael van Gerwen’s dominating performances hangs over the entire upper half of the draw, dampening the hopes of any outsider.

This is far from being the case on the other side.

Gabriel Clemens – the conqueror of the reigning champion – has entered the last 16 games, after a spectacular last stage victory over Snakebite.

“I have no words. I played against the world champion, a fantastic player and a nice guy. I’m so happy,” he said. Sky Sports after his victory.

“Yeah. I’ve been feeling good the last few weeks. I’ve trained a lot and a lot. I’m really happy.”

He may have been largely speechless – but that was understandable. He let his darts speak. This message was that he was a live competitor in this competition.

An average of 98.65 and a double rate of 15/33 under intense pressure from such a seasoned activist tells its own story. There has been a boom in the popularity of the sport in Germany over the past few years, but so far no player in the country has really managed to break through it at the top.

That will all change if Clemens confirms his victory over Wright and goes deep into the tournament.

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Clemens knocked out Peter Wright in the third round

Can the Polish eagle take flight?

While waiting for the German giant in the fourth round, Krzysztof Ratajski in good shape. The Polish Eagle is widely regarded as one of the best players on the Pro Tour, but so far in his career he has failed to realize his potential on the big stage.

He’ll be anxious to get rid of his nickname “first floor player” in the coming days; a retrograde compliment has also been addressed to Gary Anderson in the past before the Flying Scotsman hit the big time.

Ratajski is yet to drop a set in the tournament, with complete victories over Ryan Joyce and Simon Whitlock. Ranked 15th in the Order of Merit, the Warsaw native is a growing force in the game. But for him to progress further, he will have to do so on the big stage.

The first indications have been positive. Having reached the quarter-finals of World Matchplay, he has shown that he can thrive in these “behind-the-scenes” television environments. His Pro Tour form would suggest he is capable of reaching even greater heights.

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Ratajski reached the fourth round after beating Simon Whitlock 4-0

Make way for the king?

“There is no reason at all [why I can’t win the World Championship]”Said Mervyn King Sky Sports, after sending Grand Prix winner Jose de Sousa with an impressive 4-0 victory.

The seasoned Englishman produced an impressive performance, averaging 103.47 with a payout rate of 57.14%.

But he still feels there is more to the tank.

“I still need to ride it,” he said. “I’m not going to win the world championships playing like this. I have to come up a long way to beat players like Gary Anderson, Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price. It almost happened and I’m trying.

“I take every game as it comes. If I play well enough, I win. If I don’t, I come home. That’s how it always has been, for 23 years as a pro . I never tour. “I’m going to win this, I’m going to win this.” I just do it on the same day. If it’s good enough, happy days. If not, I’ll watch. “

In 2009, King reached the semi-final where he lost to Phil Taylor. Fast forward 11 years, and he says his game is in a better place: “Without a shadow of a doubt. My game is in a much better position, because of what I’m doing, not because I got it. I’m convinced of it., it’s because of what I’m doing. So fingers crossed continue. “

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Mervyn King says there’s no reason he can’t win world championship

The elephant in the room

Of course, a certain Gerwyn Price may have something to say about the ambitions of any underdog to reach the final from this half of the competition.

The Iceman grows in the tournament as he progresses. After seeing his compatriot Jamie Lewis in a disappointing way, he raised his game to overtake Brendan Dolan in an epic.

Price thrives on momentum, and the Sid Waddell Trophy is the one big omission from his gleaming resume, having added Grand Prix and World Cup titles to his two Grand Slam crowns this year.

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Price reached the last 16 after a dramatic final leg decisive against Brendan Dolan

He faces King with a quarterfinal offer. The Welshman is the favorite to progress.

But if he joins Wright, Aspinall, and Cross as a high-profile victim, the bottom half will be fully open.

Round four of the PDC World Championship kicks off Tuesday night, as Gabriel Clemens takes on Krzysztof Ratajski and Joe Cullen takes on Michael van Gerwen. Watch all the action live on our dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel.