The third round continues on Sunday, with James Wade, Adrian Lewis and Rob Cross all in action on the last day before the Christmas break.
Here’s what’s in prospect on Sunday at the World Darts Championship…
Vincent van der Voort v Chris Dobey
Two-time quarter-finalist at the Ally Pally, Vincent van der Voort upset 13th seed Darren Webster in the second round, and the big Dutchman knows what it takes to scrap through the early stages of the World Championship.
Chris Dobey is yet to drop a set after wins over Boris Koltsov and Steve Beaton, as ‘Hollywood’ now aims to reach the last 16 for the first ever time.
The winner will take on two-time world champion Gary Anderson in the last 16, after the Scot survived one match dart to defeat Jermaine Wattimena in a dramatic seven-set tiebreak.
Nathan Aspinall v Kyle Anderson
Fresh from his shock triumph over Gerwyn Price on Friday night, Nathan Aspinall will believe that he can go deep in this tournament.
He comes up against Kyle Anderson who is likely beginning to fancy his chances as the big seeds in the quarter continue to fall.
With such a huge opportunity for the winner, expect this to be an enthralling contest.
Dimitri van den Bergh v Luke Humphries
Dimitri van den Bergh turned on the style in a 3-1 win over 15th seed Jonny Clayton on Friday night, averaging 104.45 along the way. ‘The Dreammaker’ raised eyebrows with some big scalps last year, and knows he has the game to mix it with the very best.
The 24-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in the sport, and is brimming with confidence right now.
Fresh from victory over Stephen Bunting in the second round, Luke Humphries will be hopeful of another upset as he enters as underdog once again.
Brendan Dolan v Mervyn King
Another intriguing tie in the bottom quarter of the draw sees two in-form players come head-to-head. Brendan Dolan put in one of the most impressive performances at the World Championship to date with his 3-0 win over Joe Cullen, landing a 170 finish along the way.
A semi-finalist in 2009, King isn’t found wanting for experience but will be looking to arrest a poor recent record at the Ally Pally.
This clash between the ‘History Maker’ and the ‘King’ could go down to the wire.
James Wade v Keegan Brown
‘The Machine’ made headlines for all the wrong reasons after his second round win over Seigo Asada, but the fact of the matter is that he was able to dig deep for an impressive win.
Coming into the Worlds in red hot form, the ninth seed is a dark horse in the minds of many.
He comes up against Keegan Brown who has more in reserve after victory over a disappointing Jelle Klaasen in the second round.
Adrian Lewis v Darius Labanauskas
‘Jackpot’ continues to show signs that he’s getting his mojo back, averaging 97.20 in his win over Ted Evetts. Confidence is key for the 16th seed as he aims to offer a timely reminder exactly what he is capable of.
The two-time winner of the World Championship will be looking to get a win so he can mix it with some of darts’ biggest stars after Christmas.
Labanauskas won’t be fazed by the prospect of taking on such a big name, after sending Raymond van Barneveld packing in the second round. The Lithuanian thrower is once again a long-shot outsider, but ought not to be written off.
Rob Cross v Cristo Reyes
It’s over a week since the reigning champion’s impressive second-round showing against Jeffrey de Zwaan, as he avoided what many were touting as a potential banana skin.
‘Voltage’ looks back to his old self on the Ally Pally stage, and will be aiming to consolidate that 102.93 average win when he takes on Cristo Reyes.
The Spaniard has taken on big names at the Ally Pally in recent years, falling to Gary Anderson in Michael van Gerwen in 2015 and 2017 respectively. He’ll need to bring his very best game to trouble the reigning champion of the world.
You can follow every dart from every session of the World Darts Championships on Sky Sports Darts, check out the full schedule here. You can also stay up to date with all the action behind the scenes by following us @SkySportsDarts and get all the latest news, previews and interviews by heading to www.skysports.com/darts
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