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Michael van Gerwen (Pic: Kelly Deckers)

Unibet European Championship: Michael van Gerwen to face Simon Whitlock in quarter-finals

Darts

Wed November 08, 2017 · 7y ago

Reigning Unibet European Champion Michael van Gerwen and 2012 winner Simon Whitlock stormed into the quarter-finals of this year's event with stunning second round victories in Hasselt on Friday night.

World Champion and top seed Van Gerwen dropped just one leg in a superb 10-1 romp against Ian White, producing the best display of the tournament so far as he averaged over 105 and finished ten doubles from 17 attempts.

Legs of 12 and 14 darts gave Van Gerwen an early 2-0 lead, with White hitting back in the third but having no reply as the Dutchman slammed home checkouts of 114 and 164 in taking a 6-1 cushion.

Missed doubles from White in the next three allowed Van Gerwen to pull clear at 9-1, before he finished 88 to seal a dominant performance.

Van Gerwen is odds-on at 4/5 with Sky Bet to go on and win the tournament.

"I think I played a fantastic game," said Van Gerwen. "We always play well against each other but you have to do the right thing at the right moment and that's exactly what I did in this game.

"He missed a few doubles but I think I was the dominant player in this game and I deserved to win. Everything was perfect and I think I played a lovely game. I'm happy with my game and I can build on this for the next round.

"I full of confidence and I know can do something special. I've got more in the tank to come and I feel great, so I hope I can continue this feeling on Sunday."

Van Gerwen's scoreline was bettered by 2012 European Championship winner Whitlock, who ruthlessly punished 13 missed doubles from Alan Norris to claim a whitewash victory in their second round tie.

Opening legs of 13 and 14 darts put the 2012 champion in command before he made Norris pay for four misses in leg three, finished 88 in leg four and landed six perfect darts in the fifth.

Five further misses from Norris in the next two legs were again punished, as Whitlock moved 7-0 up with the aid of a 95 finish featuring two double 19s, while he also capitalised on further misses with a brace of double tops to seal the win.

"The scoreline's a bit flattering but Alan missed his chances and I took mine," said Whitlock, who averaged 96 and finished ten doubles from 21 attempts.

"I wasn't too happy with how I played against James Richardson in the first round so I wanted to perform better today. Alan wasn't himself and it was quite a comfortable win in the end."

Van Gerwen and Whitlock (5/1 outsider with Sky Bet to beat MVG) will clash on Sunday afternoon in the quarter-finals, and the Dutchman added: "I've got a fantastic record against Simon.

"Simon knows what he has to do - he has to play a phenomenal match if he wants to beat me, but he can do that.

"He's been in Premier Leagues and World Championship finals and he knows what to do, but I think I'm the better player and I have to show that on Sunday afternoon."

Friday night's other second round winners were Mensur Suljovic (9/1 to win the title) and Kyle Anderson (33/1) as they set up another tasty clash in Sunday afternoon's quarter-finals at the Ethias Arena.

Mensur Suljovic (Pic: Kelly Deckers)

Former European Championship runner-up Suljovic remains on course to at least match that feat after he overcame UK Open finalist Gerwyn Price 10-4.

After Price took the opening leg, Suljovic claimed seven in a row - including a 121 combination - to sweep clear of the Welshman.

Price finished legs of 13, 11 and 12 darts as he won three of the next five, but Suljovic closed out the win with his second 180 in an 11-darter.

"It was a very hard game and if he finished his doubles it could have been closer," said Suljovic, who finished ten doubles from 17 attempts. "I was focused on my game and I'm happy I won it."

Auckland Darts Masters champion Anderson won through to the quarter-finals in Hasselt for a second successive year, defeating Jelle Klaasen 10-6 in their second round tie.

The Australian capitalised on his rival's early missed doubles to open up a 3-0 lead, with Klaasen cutting the gap to 5-3 before a surge of 180s from Anderson helped him pull clear into a 9-5 cushion.

Klaasen took out 108 to respond and keep his hopes alive, but the fightback was brief as Anderson finished tops to seal his spot in Sunday's final stages.

"It's great to be through to Sunday now," said Anderson. "I think early on we were more worried about each other’s game, and then I tried to dictate the pace but it took a while and after the first break I settled down.

"Maybe I should have hit more than the six 180s but I got the job done and I can prepare for the quarter-finals. I'm looking forward to it and I'm here to do a job."

The second round concludes on Saturday evening in Hasselt with the remaining four matches, headlined by the tie between number two seed Peter Wright and Welsh ace Jonny Clayton.

Wright, March's UK Open champion who also won last weekend's German Darts Masters, began his bid for another TV title with a 6-3 first round success over Krzysztof Ratajski on Friday afternoon.

Wright is Sky Bet's second-favourite at 7/2 to lift the trophy.

Welshman Clayton, meanwhile, produced the highest average of the first round of 103.61 in his excellent 6-1 defeat of Dimitri Van den Bergh, which ended Belgian hopes in the tournament.

Recent World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney began his challenge for a second TV title with a 6-3 win over Steve Beaton.

Stephen Bunting survived four missed match darts from Joe Cullen before emerging from their first round tie with a 6-5 victory as he moves through to meet Gurney.

Number three seed Michael Smith held off Nathan Aspinall's fightback from 4-0 down to level before progressing to the second round with a 6-4 win over the Stockport debutant.

Benito van de Pas held off the challenge of Vincent van der Voort to claim his first European Championship victory, following up three first round exits with a 6-5 win as he survived two missed match darts in their all-Dutch tie.

Rob Cross produced a superb display to whitewash German's Martin Schindler 6-0 in a clash between two European Championship debutants, averaging 101.35 and landing five maximums.

Cross now meets Dave Chisnall, who averaged 99.51 and finished six doubles from nine attempts in a 6-1 defeat of Spain's Cristo Reyes.

The £400,000 tournament then concludes on Sunday at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt with the quarter-finals in the afternoon session and semi-finals and final in the evening session.