The second day of the PDC World Darts Championship sees two sessions of action taking place inside what is now a behind closed doors setup at the Alexandra Palace as another bunch of players get their campaign underway.
It has to be said the opening night was pretty ordinary fayre so we are hoping for a much better quality in the afternoon session, where one or two recognisable names will be looking to make progress in the competition.
Ryan Joyce vs Karel Sedlacek
The opening match of a bumper day of darts sees the improving former quarter finalist Ryan Joyce taking on the Czech Republic ace Karel Sedlacek in a match which could be one of the closer of the tournament so far.
You get the impression this is a match that both men will feel they can win and that would be right. Joyce is an improved player having won a Players Championship event earlier in the season but he needs to show his best form on the big stage. Sedlacek has played in a few World Championships in the past and although he hasn’t really made a huge impression in them he has at least been competitive. This one might be one of those matches which is settled on timing and I rarely like to get involved in those. I’m happy to sit this one out.
Ross Smith vs David Evans
One of the better matches of the afternoon is the second game as Ross Smith looks to make progress towards a second round clash against the Grand Slam champion Jose de Sousa when he takes on the star of the online tournaments during lockdown in David Evans.
Evans hasn’t just starred online, he played very well on the Challenge Tour to make it into this tournament and probably has little to lose now that he is here. He made the quarter finals of the BDO World Championship earlier in the year so he is experienced in big tournaments which could serve him well. Smith has never really fulfilled his talent in the PDC but he arrives here having played well recently and will want to crown off his year by making it through to the second round at least. This one should be a close match and I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes the distance but the odds look about right so I’ll leave this one alone.
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William O’Connor vs Niels Zonneveld
The third match of the afternoon sees two players who are probably better than their ranking suggests battling against each other when William O’Connor faces Niels Zonneveld for the right to take on Daryl Gurney later in the competition.
Zonneveld burst onto our screens when he dumped James Wade out of the Players Championship Finals last month and he followed that up by progressing through the qualifying tournament for this event so he needs to be taken seriously but it is about time that O’Connor announces himself in one of these major events. He pushed Gerwyn Price the distance here last year and is pretty experienced these days which might prove to be the difference down the stretch in this game but this is another of those tough to call ones. I’d favour O’Connor but he’s priced accordingly.
Chris Dobey vs Jeff Smith
The one second round match in the afternoon session sees Chris Dobey taking on the Canadian star Jeff Smith for a place in the third round after Christmas in what should be a cracking way to reach the halfway mark of the day.
Dobey has been in very poor form in recent times which has been well-documented and he will be hoping that a couple of decent spins in the PDC Home Tour III recently will spur him into life because he’ll need to be at his best to come through here. Smith is a class act who has made the final of a Players Championship event this year and has also been to the final of the BDO World Championship. Perhaps more importantly he has already had a match on this stage and we’ve seen in the last two seasons just what sort of advantage that can bring.
I don’t think Smith was perfect by any means against Keane Barry on Tuesday evening but having not played competitively for more than a month it is understandable that he had to shake a bit of rust off. I think Smith has what it takes to come through here in what should be another decent match. The form of Dobey is a massive concern and with the pressure of expectation on him and the disadvantage of having not played a game I fear for the Geordie. I’ll take Smith here.
Tips
Back J.Smith to beat C.Dobey for a 3/10 stake at 2.55 with Betfair
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