Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen overcame unseeded Callan Rydz in a thrilling quarter-final clash to secure a semi-final matchup with Chris Dobey at the PDC World Championship.
Third seed Van Gerwen secured his most recent world title in 2019, but he skillfully defeated the high-scoring Rydz 5-3, edging closer to a fourth victory at Alexandra Palace.
In the meantime, Dobey overcame a two-set deficit to defeat former champion Gerwyn Price 5-3 and advance to the semifinals for the first time.
Teenager Luke Littler encounters Nathan Aspinall, while Stephen Bunting competes against two-time champion Peter Wright in the other quarter-finals on Wednesday night.
In a contest of exceptional caliber, Van Gerwen took the lead on two occasions, but Rydz – who scored 17 180s during the match – battled back each time to equalize.
The Dutchman went two sets ahead at 4-2 but was again equalized by Rydz before ultimately winning with an average of 103.1.
Rydz finished with an average of 103.88 and achieved 46.15% on the doubles, but it fell short against a motivated Van Gerwen, who was at 44.74% on checkouts.
In the fifth set, both players maintained averages above 103.59, with ‘Mighty Mike’ falling short in the seventh round despite an average of 111.67.
“Being involved in games like this always brings you immense happiness.” “Van Gerwen told Sky Sports, ‘It’s likely one of my finest performances in quite a while.'”
“He invested all his efforts and continually applied pressure on me.” He kept hitting trebles and refused to give up. “My game is in a solid spot, but that doesn’t signify anything yet.”
Dobey, who was eliminated in the quarter-finals over the last two years, kept his composure after a scorching opening from Price, the 2021 champion from Wales, to clinch four consecutive sets and had five darts to secure a 5-2 victory.
The Englishman’s inability to complete the task revived memories of his quarter-final loss to Rob Cross last year, where he relinquished a 4-0 advantage.
Nonetheless, a pause enabled Dobey to recover and guaranteed that such a collapse would not happen again, securing the win with an excellent double-double finish on the 18s.
“I’ve never felt as anxious about throwing for a winning double as I do today,” Dobey informed Sky Sports. “I’m simply happy I pushed through and secured the victory.”
