It is semi-final night at the World Matchplay on Saturday evening with two juicy battles to take place to determine who will be competing in the final of the tournament inside the Winter Gardens on Sunday night.
We’ve had a week of shocks and surprises so far but we are left with thee high ranked players along with a giant killer who is making a real name for himself. With the format up to the best of 33 legs now we should get two excellent contests.
Peter Wright vs Mensur Suljovic
The opening semi-final is a clash between two men who won TV tournaments last year and who are more than capable of winning this one too when Peter Wright takes on Mensur Suljovic for a place in the final on Sunday.
Wright has been exceptional in this tournament so far but you could well argue that none of his opponents have shown up with their best darts so it will be interesting to see how he reacts when someone keeps the pressure up on him. Suljovic has also been very good so far and unlike Wright he has taken the best of his opponents and still come through.
I’m expecting a close match here. Suljovic actually has won five of the last six matches between these two and the one he lost was in a deciding leg so he clearly seems to enjoy playing against Wright. Wright doesn’t look in the mood to surrender easily so over 29.5 legs looks the way to play this one.
The other bet to take is for Mensur Suljovic to hit the most 180s. He hit nine in the quarter final against Darren Webster which is two more than Wright has hit in the entire tournament so far. Indeed Wright is yet to score more than three 180s in any game whereas Suljovic’s lowest total is four which was in the first round. Suljovic is no Dave Chisnall in the 180 department but he should have Wright covered here.
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Jeffrey de Zwaan vs Gary Anderson
The second semi-final sees two men looking to book their spot in a first World Matchplay final going at it when Jeffrey de Zwaan takes on Gary Anderson in a match which has the potential to be explosive right from the start.
You could be forgiven for wondering when the fairy tale is going to end for de Zwaan but the true reality of it is he has outplayed two world champions and a very solid player and what has been more interesting is that he has been playing his best darts at the end of each match. Anderson has been very good in this tournament but he had to survive a right scare in the quarter final against Joe Cullen. The Scot is a worthy favourite but he’s no dead cert here.
I think the best bet in this semi-final is to take over 17.5 180s. These two are going to play at a rhythm that suits both. Unlike Lewis, Anderson doesn’t slow down for anybody and de Zwaan likes a nice pace so I expect to see the best darts from the pair of them. Both are relentless on the 60 and so this line looks a touch on the low side to me.
Tips
WON – Back P.Wright vs M.Suljovic – Over 29.5 legs for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with William Hill
Back it here:
Back M.Suljovic Most 180s vs P.Wright for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with BetVictor
Back him here:
WON – Back J.de Zwaan vs G.Anderson – Over 17.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 1.85 with Unibet
Back it here:
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