A review of Monday's action at the PDC's William Hill World Darts Championship as Gary Anderson beat Mensur Suljovic before blasting the Austrian for his style of play in a furious interview.
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EVENING SESSION
Gary Anderson hit out at Mensur Suljovic and even threatened to walk away from darts after eventually coming through a bizarre war of attrition 4-3 to seal his place in the last 16 of the World Championship.
The Flying Scotsman looked visibly frustrated by his opponent's methodical style play - which was even slower than usual - for most of a match that lasted 90 minutes and was as mentally exhausting to watch as it must have been to play in.
Not that there wasn't any high points to please the fans at home, with Anderson firing in four 100+ checkouts including a stunner from 156 to take the sixth set 3-0 and force a decider that he also whitewashed, while Suljovic fired in eight of the 13 180s.
But it will be remembered for the stark clash of styles that hampered both performances - particularly the wayward finishing - and prompted Anderson into his post-match outburst.
The 2015 and 2016 world champion has struggled with knee problems this season and will probably have been more annoyed by the prolonged standing than his 92.49 average and missing 33 of the 58 missed darts at doubles, so it wasn't a huge shock to learn he'd initially refused to the media straight after the match.
But later, in a fuming interview with Sky Sports, he said: "Absolutely dire, absolute joke of a game. I've always wanted to play darts but when everyone asks why do I get cheesed off with darts, that's one of the reasons. Absolute bull.
Regarding Suljovic's particularly slow play in the first half of the match, Anderson said: "Did you watch the last set? Or the third set? Was he slow then? No. I nicked at the end, I don't know how but if that's how darts is going then I'm offski - I'm away for a game of golf or something. I'm not going through that again.
"I just want to play darts. Is that darts? Did you enjoy it because I didn't. I'm sure there are 90% of folk watching at home, they probably turned over and watched Corrie or something - I would have done.
"I just want to throw darts and if you get spanked, the boy's been better than you and beaten you. Shake his hand and on you go. But come on, that's a load of tripe.
"You're walking past the table you should be at, but you've got to cut across because the boy's standing there. The next minute you go across he's not there. What have you to do? My head was gone after the first set. I'd lost the plot.
Anderson was also annoyed about the table situation on stage, saying: "For a start, we were told what tables we were on and I ended up on the wrong table for the duration of the game. I thought even Sky would have picked up on what table we should have been on and it could have been done right away. Obviously not. I had to bite the bullet and get on with it."
Anderson, who hit a 130 checkout on the bullseye en route to winning the opening set 3-2 albeit after Suljovic missed four darts to pinch the decider himself, could have won much quicker had he not also spurned eight attempts at a double to take the second 3-0.
This allowed Suljovic to fight back and level at one apiece, only to spurn another four shots at double 16 in the third set decider, which Anderson eventually stole with a finish from 69.
Suljovic began to find his rhythm in the fourth set and sealed it 3-0 with an 11-darter while he threw another of those at the start of the fifth, which he also went on to whitewash to leave Anderson in real trouble.
The 50-year-old, however, produced a trademark turbo boost of brilliance with checkouts of 106 and 156 either side of an 11-darter to take the sixth set 3-0 before reeling off a scrappier three legs without reply to seal victory.
Anderson has never enjoyed playing Suljovic, who famously beat him twice during his run to Champions League of Darts glory in 2017, but he has now beaten Suljovic in their last five televised meetings including the unforgettably brilliant World Matchplay final of 2018.
Gerwyn Price also had to come through a titanic showdown to reach the last 16 as he just about held his nerve in a deciding leg with a gutsy Brendan Dolan.
The Iceman, who will become world number one if he lifts the Sid Waddell Trophy for the first time and Michael van Gerwen fails to reach the final, blew hot and cold in a dramatic topsy-turvy affair but still managed to average just shy of 100 with the help of nine 180s, a 170 checkout and 50% on his doubles.
Price capitalised on Dolan missing two set darts to take the opener 3-2 only for the Irishman to put that disappointment behind him by blitzing through the next 3-0 in 43 darts to lay down a serious marker that he would not lie down.
This year's World Grand Prix, World Series and World Cup of Darts champion responded in kind with a whitewash set of his own although Dolan dug deep to defy his 138 checkout and an 11-darter in the fourth to pinch it 3-2.
Price's Big Fish checkout of 170 came in the fifth set that he won 3-0 but in the deciding leg of the sixth, he spurned his first match dart at tops when attempting to complete a 145 checkout and Dolan pounced.
The Welshman's next opportunity in the very last leg of the match as he took out 72 with his last dart in hand, with his opponent waiting to come back with the same objective.
Glen Durrant joined Anderson and Price in the last 16 with a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Danny Baggish in the final match of the night.
The Premier League champion has struggled to find his best form due to the effects Covid had on him a couple of months back but looked more like his old self when storming into a 3-0 set lead for the loss of just three legs.
However, American surprise package Baggish, who stunned Damon Heta and Adrian Lewis to reach the third round on just his second Ally Pally appearance, survived Duzza's dart at tops in the deciding leg of the fourth set before taking out 65 to avoid a whitewash defeat.
Baggish maintained the momentum to take the next 3-1 and then forced a deciding leg in the sixth, but Durrant held firm to win it with a finish from 62.
AFTERNOON SESSION
Nathan Aspinall became the fourth player in the world's top six to crash out at the Ally Pally before the end of the third round after slumping to a 4-2 defeat against Vincent van der Voort.
Having survived a huge scare in an incredible duel with Scott Waites before Christmas, the Stockport star joked that his opponent's four missed match darts happened because it was his destiny to become world champion - but those dreams must now be put on hold for another 12 months.
The world number six, who follows Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Rob Cross out of the tournament, was up against it early on when Van der Voort blitzed the opening set in under five minutes with an average of 115 while he also threw three 180s and checkouts of 121 and 110.
The Dutch veteran maintained the momentum in the second set, which he also won 3-0 and clinched with a 113 checkout.
Aspinall, who had reached the semi-finals in each of his last two editions, finally got a leg on the board in the third as he began to mount a trademark comeback and after taking it 3-1, he edged the fourth 3-2 to square the match and suddenly he was favourite again.
However, it proved to be a false dawn as the trebles and doubles deserted him again and Van der Voort made him pay by taking six of the next eight legs to coast into the last 32 for the first time in five years.
"I don't think I played that well but I knew he was struggling and I'll take the win," said van der Voort, who averaged 93.77 compared to Aspinall's 91.03 and hit eight of the 14 180s in the match. "I was very good at the beginning of the match and maybe that did the damage."
Jose de Sousa was another high-profile casualty as he crashed to a 4-0 defeat against Mervyn King despite averaging 103.62 and throwing seven 180s.
Unfortunately for the Grand Slam of Darts champion, King was even more inspired as the 54-year-old produced arguably his finest performance on the televised stage for a decade.
The 2009 semi-finalist showed genuine signs of revival by reaching his sixth televised final - and first since 2014 - at the recent Players Championship Finals, which he lost to Michael van Gerwen in a deciding leg, and on this evidence he could feasibly end his wait for a maiden PDC major with the biggest of the lot.
King averaged a shade less with 103.47 but fired in eight 180s and also converted 12 of his 21 attempts at doubles as De Sousa spurned six of his 10.
"He didn't hit big at the right time and I took advantage," said King. "I take each game as it comes and if I play well I win and, if not, I won't. That's the way I've always approached it.
"I'm a lot more confident than I have been because of the way I'm playing. There's no reason that I can't go on and win this."
Dirk van Duijvenbode was also a highly impressive winner as his showed why he's a dark horse for the title with a 4-0 thumping of Adam Hunt.
The World Grand Prix runner-up, who beat Rob Cross in the opening round, averaged a sparkling 104.09 and threw no fewer than four 100+ checkouts including the biggest of the lot to complete a 12-darter in the second leg of the match after Hunt had missed bullseye for a 127 finish.
Although Aubergenius was outgunned on the 180 front 9-4 by his opponent, he weighed in with an astonishing 19 scores of 140+ in a high-octane contest that was a lot closer than the final scoreline suggested.
Indeed, Hunt averaged 97.39 and managed a 145 checkout in an encouraging display that suggests he'll be quite a threat if he continues his rise up the rankings next season.
World Championship: Monday's results and Tuesday schedule
- Scroll further down for the full tournament draw bracket, daily schedule and averages
Monday December 28
Afternoon Session (1200 GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
- Jose de Sousa (103.62) 0-4 (104.21) Mervyn King (1-3, 0-3, 2-3, 1-3)
- Dirk van Duijvenbode (104.88) 4-0 (97.39) Adam Hunt (3-1, 3-2, 3-0, 3-1)
- Nathan Aspinall (91.03) 2-4 (93.77) Vincent van der Voort (0-3, 0-3, 3-1, 3-2, 2-3)
Evening Session (1800 GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
- Gary Anderson (92.49) 4-3 (89.78) Mensur Suljovic (3-2, 2-3, 3-2, 0-3, 0-3, 3-0, 3-0)
- Gerwyn Price (99.74) 4-3 (97.3) Brendan Dolan (3-2, 0-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-0, 2-3, 3-2)
- Glen Durrant (95.41) 4-2 (91.59) Danny Baggish (3-0, 3-2, 3-1, 2-3, 1-3, 3-2)
Tuesday December 29
Afternoon Session (1200 GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
- James Wade v Stephen Bunting
- Daryl Gurney v Chris Dobey
- Jason Lowe v Devon Petersen
Evening Session (1800 GMT)
Third Round (Best of 7 sets)
Fourth Round (Best of 7 sets)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
- Dave Chisnall v Danny Noppert (R3)
- Gabriel Clemens v Krzysztof Ratajski (R4)
- Michael van Gerwen v Joe Cullen (R4)