Two of the seeds and favourites for the tournament Daryl Gurney and Gerwyn Price suffered upsets to Danny Noppert and Dave Chisnall as the first round of the World Grand Prix came to a close.
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| Photo from sportinglife.com |
Stephen Bunting 2-0 Jonny Clayton
Stephen Bunting won a low quality affair to start the night beating Jonny Clayton in straight sets.
The Welshman began the match missing seven darts at double to start the first leg, putting him on the back foot from the outset.
The Bullet cashed in after checking-in with his second and completing the leg with ease, and a 72 checkout in the next put him in control of the set.
By the time the Ferret had hit his straps - throwing a 111 set-up shot in the third leg, Buntin took out tops to wrap up a whitewash first set.
Again Clayton struggled to get underway at the start of the set, and the St Helens thrower punished him again, finishing 96 for his fourth consecutive leg.
Clayton got off the mark with one of the few moments of quality from this affair, going out on 110 to stop the rot, but Bunting replied with a 13-dart leg to go one leg away from the second round.
A 64 checkout from Clayton levelled up the second set at 2-2, only for him to miss four darts for the set, allowing Bunting to seal the win.
The match lacked real quality, but further highlighted the importance of getting into the leg quickly - which Bunting did more regularly.
Vincent van der Voort 0-2 Nathan Aspinall
Nathan Aspinall dished out a drubbing against Vincent van der Voort to win 2-0.
The UK Open Champion profited on the Dutch Destroyer's six missed darts to take the first leg to hold his throw, before taking out 76 and 75 in subsequent legs to take the first set in the blink of an eye.
He opened the second set with a 13-darter, setting a tempo that van der Voort couldn't match.
Aspinall wasn't punished for needing four darts to get away in the second leg of the set, coming back with shots of 111 and 100 to drag himself back into the leg, only for van der Voort to get on the scoreboard with his only successful finishing double in 10 attempts.
Aspinall started 108 in the next leg, closing the leg on tops in 14 darts to round off a great performance by the US Darts Master.
Adrian Lewis 1-2 Jermaine Wattimena
Jermaine Wattimena upset two-time world champion Adrian Lewis with a comeback win.
The Machine Gun won four legs in succession from 2-2 in the second set, progressing beyond the first round for the second year in a row, adding the impressive scalp of Jackpot to his collection.
Lewis began the match with 160, 100 and 140, taking the first set 3-1 at a canter.
Wattimena then couldn't get into the deciding leg in set two, with Lewis starting 75 and 140 to establish a healthy lead, imagining he'd get plenty of darts to seal the win with the Dutchman way back.
But back-to-back 140s kept Wattimena in touch, checking out 50 in two darts to force the deciding set.
An 88 finish saw Wattimena take control, with all three of his darts at finishing doubles finding their target in that set, winning in clinical style.
Glen Durrant 2-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Glen Durrant's debut season with the PDC is going from strength to strength, after coming from a set down to beat Krzysztof Ratajski on his debut at the World Grand Prix.
The three-time BDO world champion enjoyed a fairytale run to the World Matchplay semi-final, but made a sluggish start in Dublin, struggling to adapt to the double-in format, allowing the Polish Eagle to take the first set 3-0.
Ratajski, who has recently added the Gibraltar Darts Trophy to his list of tournament wins, was only halted from his clinical throwing with two missed darts at double 18 to take the second set to a deciding leg.
Duzza punished him to level the set score, and the same happened in the next set, this time the Pole missed two at double 19, allowing Durrant back to take out 98 to book his sport in the second round.
Both players averaged 84 and neither managed a 180, but Durrant's finishing was far superior, hitting six out of nine checkout double attempts while Ratajski missed seven of his 12
(3) Daryl Gurney 0-2 Danny Noppert
Danny Noppert produced the upset of the round, defeating former champion Daryl Gurney in straight sets.
SuperChin was 2-1 up in the first set, but missed five darts for the set across the next two legs, allowing Noppert to punish and take a set lead.
With Gurney out of sorts after losing the first set, the Dutchman raced through the second set without reply from the Northern Irishman to claim his first win on this stage.
(6) Gerwyn Price 1-2 Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall remains in the hunt for his first PDC major title - and managed to defeat one of the tournament favourites in the first round.
Gerwyn Price and Chizzy have been two of the form players this year - Grand Slam champion Price won his fourth tournament of 2019 on Friday in Dublin.
He managed to edge a high quality opening set against an ever popular opponent in Chisnall, who threw an 11-dart leg while the Iceman finished a leg in 12.
Averaging 100 at this point, the St Helens thrower continued in the same way to take set two 3-0, before holding his nerve on a 62 checkout to break Price's throw to go 2-1 up in the deciding set.
Price broke straight back in 14 darts to take the match to the sudden leg, but despite having the throw, he missed his first nine darts at the starting double, gifting Chisnall victory.
Chisnall himself has got three titles this season, including his first on stage in six years on the European Tour in Denmark, as well as hitting three perfect legs in 2019.
The 39-year-old averaged an impressive 92.5 considering the double-in format, while Price was some 13 points lower.
Chisnall's scoring was superior too, hitting five 180s to Price's one, though the Welshman was better on the finishing, pinning five in seven attempts while Chisnall missed six of his 14.
(2) Rob Cross 2-1 Mensur Suljovic
World Matchplay champion Rob Cross was made to work hard to break his World Grand Prix duck against Mensur Suljovic.
Suffering first round defeats to Steve Beaton in both 2017 and 2018, but the 2018 world champion may not have been relieved to be drawn against an opponent who reached the semi-finals of this event in three of the last four editions.
Voltage took the opening set 3-1, but nine missed darts at finishing doubles in the second, allowing the Austrian to take it 3-0 to force a decider.
The Gentle took the opening leg in set three in 14 darts on throw, but then missed his first four darts at a starting double, giving the initiative back to the Englishman.
Cross broke throw with a 14-darter before holding to seal the win - only after Suljovic missed two darts at tops to break.
(7) Peter Wright 2-0 Max Hopp
Peter Wright eased through to round two in a straight sets win against Max Hopp.
Snakebite - who was runner-up in Dublin 12 months ago - was a heavy favourite to beat the German due to his good form in recent months, including three consecutive titles prior to the World Matchplay, where he made the quarter-finals and he has also made four semi-finals on the tour.
The Maximiser can take solace from the fact that he took the Scot to a deciding leg in the first set, but Wright showed his class to take it in 14 darts.
The second set was more comfortable for Wright, though the final leg seemed to drag on for far too long - Hopp took 11 darts to get away and Wright missed four before missing six to finish it, eventually going out in 25 darts.
Stephen Bunting won a low quality affair to start the night beating Jonny Clayton in straight sets.
The Welshman began the match missing seven darts at double to start the first leg, putting him on the back foot from the outset.
The Bullet cashed in after checking-in with his second and completing the leg with ease, and a 72 checkout in the next put him in control of the set.
By the time the Ferret had hit his straps - throwing a 111 set-up shot in the third leg, Buntin took out tops to wrap up a whitewash first set.
Again Clayton struggled to get underway at the start of the set, and the St Helens thrower punished him again, finishing 96 for his fourth consecutive leg.
Clayton got off the mark with one of the few moments of quality from this affair, going out on 110 to stop the rot, but Bunting replied with a 13-dart leg to go one leg away from the second round.
A 64 checkout from Clayton levelled up the second set at 2-2, only for him to miss four darts for the set, allowing Bunting to seal the win.
The match lacked real quality, but further highlighted the importance of getting into the leg quickly - which Bunting did more regularly.
Vincent van der Voort 0-2 Nathan Aspinall
Nathan Aspinall dished out a drubbing against Vincent van der Voort to win 2-0.
The UK Open Champion profited on the Dutch Destroyer's six missed darts to take the first leg to hold his throw, before taking out 76 and 75 in subsequent legs to take the first set in the blink of an eye.
He opened the second set with a 13-darter, setting a tempo that van der Voort couldn't match.
Aspinall wasn't punished for needing four darts to get away in the second leg of the set, coming back with shots of 111 and 100 to drag himself back into the leg, only for van der Voort to get on the scoreboard with his only successful finishing double in 10 attempts.
Aspinall started 108 in the next leg, closing the leg on tops in 14 darts to round off a great performance by the US Darts Master.
Adrian Lewis 1-2 Jermaine Wattimena
Jermaine Wattimena upset two-time world champion Adrian Lewis with a comeback win.
The Machine Gun won four legs in succession from 2-2 in the second set, progressing beyond the first round for the second year in a row, adding the impressive scalp of Jackpot to his collection.
Lewis began the match with 160, 100 and 140, taking the first set 3-1 at a canter.
Wattimena then couldn't get into the deciding leg in set two, with Lewis starting 75 and 140 to establish a healthy lead, imagining he'd get plenty of darts to seal the win with the Dutchman way back.
But back-to-back 140s kept Wattimena in touch, checking out 50 in two darts to force the deciding set.
An 88 finish saw Wattimena take control, with all three of his darts at finishing doubles finding their target in that set, winning in clinical style.
Glen Durrant 2-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Glen Durrant's debut season with the PDC is going from strength to strength, after coming from a set down to beat Krzysztof Ratajski on his debut at the World Grand Prix.
The three-time BDO world champion enjoyed a fairytale run to the World Matchplay semi-final, but made a sluggish start in Dublin, struggling to adapt to the double-in format, allowing the Polish Eagle to take the first set 3-0.
Ratajski, who has recently added the Gibraltar Darts Trophy to his list of tournament wins, was only halted from his clinical throwing with two missed darts at double 18 to take the second set to a deciding leg.
Duzza punished him to level the set score, and the same happened in the next set, this time the Pole missed two at double 19, allowing Durrant back to take out 98 to book his sport in the second round.
Both players averaged 84 and neither managed a 180, but Durrant's finishing was far superior, hitting six out of nine checkout double attempts while Ratajski missed seven of his 12
(3) Daryl Gurney 0-2 Danny Noppert
Danny Noppert produced the upset of the round, defeating former champion Daryl Gurney in straight sets.
SuperChin was 2-1 up in the first set, but missed five darts for the set across the next two legs, allowing Noppert to punish and take a set lead.
With Gurney out of sorts after losing the first set, the Dutchman raced through the second set without reply from the Northern Irishman to claim his first win on this stage.
(6) Gerwyn Price 1-2 Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall remains in the hunt for his first PDC major title - and managed to defeat one of the tournament favourites in the first round.
Gerwyn Price and Chizzy have been two of the form players this year - Grand Slam champion Price won his fourth tournament of 2019 on Friday in Dublin.
He managed to edge a high quality opening set against an ever popular opponent in Chisnall, who threw an 11-dart leg while the Iceman finished a leg in 12.
Averaging 100 at this point, the St Helens thrower continued in the same way to take set two 3-0, before holding his nerve on a 62 checkout to break Price's throw to go 2-1 up in the deciding set.
Price broke straight back in 14 darts to take the match to the sudden leg, but despite having the throw, he missed his first nine darts at the starting double, gifting Chisnall victory.
Chisnall himself has got three titles this season, including his first on stage in six years on the European Tour in Denmark, as well as hitting three perfect legs in 2019.
The 39-year-old averaged an impressive 92.5 considering the double-in format, while Price was some 13 points lower.
Chisnall's scoring was superior too, hitting five 180s to Price's one, though the Welshman was better on the finishing, pinning five in seven attempts while Chisnall missed six of his 14.
(2) Rob Cross 2-1 Mensur Suljovic
World Matchplay champion Rob Cross was made to work hard to break his World Grand Prix duck against Mensur Suljovic.
Suffering first round defeats to Steve Beaton in both 2017 and 2018, but the 2018 world champion may not have been relieved to be drawn against an opponent who reached the semi-finals of this event in three of the last four editions.
Voltage took the opening set 3-1, but nine missed darts at finishing doubles in the second, allowing the Austrian to take it 3-0 to force a decider.
The Gentle took the opening leg in set three in 14 darts on throw, but then missed his first four darts at a starting double, giving the initiative back to the Englishman.
Cross broke throw with a 14-darter before holding to seal the win - only after Suljovic missed two darts at tops to break.
(7) Peter Wright 2-0 Max Hopp
Peter Wright eased through to round two in a straight sets win against Max Hopp.
Snakebite - who was runner-up in Dublin 12 months ago - was a heavy favourite to beat the German due to his good form in recent months, including three consecutive titles prior to the World Matchplay, where he made the quarter-finals and he has also made four semi-finals on the tour.
The Maximiser can take solace from the fact that he took the Scot to a deciding leg in the first set, but Wright showed his class to take it in 14 darts.
The second set was more comfortable for Wright, though the final leg seemed to drag on for far too long - Hopp took 11 darts to get away and Wright missed four before missing six to finish it, eventually going out in 25 darts.
Tuesday Order of Play
(8) James Wade (ENG) v Mervyn King (ENG)
(5) Michael Smith (ENG) v Ian White (ENG)
(1) Michael van Gerwen (NED) v Jeffrey De Zwaan (NED)
(4) Gary Anderson (SCO) v Chris Dobey (ENG)
(8) James Wade (ENG) v Mervyn King (ENG)
(5) Michael Smith (ENG) v Ian White (ENG)
(1) Michael van Gerwen (NED) v Jeffrey De Zwaan (NED)
(4) Gary Anderson (SCO) v Chris Dobey (ENG)
Draw
Section One
(1) Michael van Gerwen (NED) 2-3 3-1 3-1
Jeffrey de Zwaan (NED) 3-1 3-0
(8) James Wade (ENG) 3-1 2-3 3-0
Mervyn King (ENG) 2-3 3-1 3-2
=
(1) Michael van Gerwen (NED) v Jeffrey de Zwaan (NED)
(8) James Wade (ENG) v Mervyn King (ENG)
Section Two
(5) Michael Smith (ENG) 1-3 3-2 3-2
(4) Gary Anderson (SCO) 3-0 3-2
=
(5) Michael Smith (ENG) v Ian White (ENG)
(4) Gary Anderson (SCO) v Chris Dobey (ENG)
Section Three
(2) Rob Cross (ENG) 3-1 0-3 3-1
Glen Durrant (ENG) 0-3 3-1 3-1
(7) Peter Wright (SCO) 3-2 3-1
=
(2) Rob Cross (ENG) v Glen Durrant (ENG)
(7) Peter Wright (SCO) v Jermaine Wattimena (NED)
Section Four
Stephen Bunting (ENG) 3-0 3-2
=
Dave Chisnall (ENG) v Stephen Bunting (ENG)
Danny Noppert (NED) v Nathan Aspinall (ENG)
Day One Results and Report
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