It is quarter final night at the World Grand Prix on Saturday evening when eight men take to the stage inside the bio-secure behind closed doors setting at the Ricoh Arena all with the aim of booking a spot in the semi-finals.
We saw shocks galore in the first round but the raise in format brought those to a minimum in the second round which should give the favourites a little more confidence to get the job done in this unique double start format on Saturday.
Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Gary Anderson
The opening quarter final sees the lowest ranked player left in the tournament in Dirk van Duijvenbode taking on one of the better players remaining in the form of Gary Anderson, a player who has surprisingly never been the champion of this event before.
Van Duijvenbode has taken out two creditable opponents to make it to this stage in Mensur Suljovic and Dimitri Van den Bergh but in both matches he showed weakness and vulnerabilities and he is going to need to be something near to his best to make it through here. Anderson has seen off Rob Cross and Danny Noppert without dropping a set to date and while Noppert gave him a bigger challenge than a 3-0 score, the Scot was pretty good in both matches and looks in control of his game. In normal circumstances I would back Anderson to win 3-0 but there is nothing normal about this tournament so I’m happy to leave this one alone.
Dave Chisnall vs Joe Cullen
Two men who had to come through humdinger type battles on Friday night meet in the second game of the evening when the 2019 finalist Dave Chisnall takes on Joe Cullen for a spot in a TV semi-final and a good shot at glory over the remainder of the week.
These two have only met once in competition in the past which is a surprise so there might be an element of feeling each other out but whichever way you look at this it surely has to be a close match. Chisnall might think he is free rolling now after Ryan Joyce missed seven match darts at a double to beat him so he could be dangerous but I’ve liked the poise and inner confidence of Cullen this week. He seems to have been inspired by his mate Devon Petersen winning on the European Tour recently.
I’m not convinced there is going to be a huge amount between these two men so the value lies with Cullen for me. Chisnall did well to come past Joyce and he has a good record in this tournament but his starting doubles were terrible in that match and he hasn’t had a huge amount of time to rectify that. Apart from one leg Cullen started pretty well against Clayton and so I’ll take him to edge this one.
Special Offer
Bet on the World Grand Prix with Boylesports and get DOUBLE WINNINGS if both players start the match with their first dart at double! Click the image below to bet. All cusomers! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Michael van Gerwen vs Simon Whitlock
The pick of the quarter final matches is the third one of the night when the defending champion Michael van Gerwen looks to make it through to the semi-final and get his year back on track when he hosts a man who has beaten him on the stage since lockdown in Simon Whitlock.
The Australian shouldn’t even be here having had to rely on a late invite into the event after Adrian Lewis withdrew and how he is looking to put more misery on Michael van Gerwen. MVG has already settled one score in this tournament after he put Devon Petersen back in his box in the previous round and he’ll be looking to do something similar here too. Whitlock doesn’t have a lot to lose in this match but he does have a fair bit to find if he is going to win this. The format might help him keep it close but I can’t see past an MVG win.
Gerwyn Price vs Jeffrey de Zwaan
The last of the quarter finals should be another tasty game as the recent World Series Finals winner Gerwyn Price takes on the other man who is making the most of his fortunate entry into the tournament in Jeffrey de Zwaan.
Price has come through the draw without dropping a set to date but it hasn’t felt like he has played that well. He hasn’t started as well as he will need to certainly to win this tournament but potentially to come through this match but to be fair he has made up for that when he has got in to a leg and at the end of it. De Zwaan was a bit hit or miss in the opening round but to be fair a lot of that could be the short notice he had to get to the tournament and prepare. He was much more emphatic in the previous round against Gabriel Clemens where he started strongly, scored heavily and finished well enough and averaged more than 92.
I’m still not convinced this is the format that brings the best out of Price and I think he’s in a real battle here. That isn’t to say that he can’t win it but de Zwaan doesn’t have a lot of pressure on him but he carries a lot of danger with him. As long as de Zwaan doesn’t have a mare on the starting double, and he hasn’t shown any signs of that so far, then I think he can live with Price and at least force a decider if not beat him.
Tips
Back J.Cullen to beat D.Chisnall for a 3/10 stake at 2.38 with Bet365
Back J.de Zwaan (+1.5 sets) to beat G.Price for a 3/10 stake at 2.25 with Betfair
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
