UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Seventh seed James Wade endured another early PDC World Championship exit after a dramatic second-round defeat to Ricky Evans.
In the final set, Evans, ranked 43rd in the world, won 6-4 after both players missed match darts.
With Wade’s loss and Wessel Nijman’s earlier on Monday, 14 of the 32 seeded players have already been eliminated. Wade is the highest-ranked seed eliminated thus far.
Gabriel Clemens of Germany, who advanced to the 2023 semifinals, defeated Dutch 31st seed Nijman in straight sets.
In other news, world number 40 Kevin Doets defeated Kenyan rookie David Munyua 3-0 in just two legs after Munyua’s unexpected victory against Mike de Decker in round one.
In the first game on Monday, Madars Razma of Latvia defeated Darren Beveridge of Scotland 3-1.
Wade’s victory in the first round was his first at Alexandra Palace since 2022, when he advanced to the semifinals for the fourth time.
The 42-year-old twice overcame a set deficit against Evans and was under 2-0 in the deciding set before forcing a tie-break, which required two straight legs to win.
In the fifth leg, Evans broke Wade’s throw. The left-hander reacted right away with a superb 94 checkout to prolong the match, but Evans made sure he finished the job by breaking again before holding throw with a 99 finish.
“Imagine coming to the darts and winning 3-0 – what’s the point? Make it interesting,”
said a joyous Evans on stage.
One of the tournament’s highlights thus far has been Munyua’s victory over 18th seed and former World Grand Prix winner De Decker in the first round.
The 30-year-old, a full-time veterinarian, had tremendous early-game support against Dutchman Doets following another thrilling walk-on.
With three 180s in the first set, Munyua had the crowd on their feet, but Doets was able to defuse the situation by advancing.
He won the match fluently despite missing 23 of his 32 doubles attempts. He’ll play either Nathan Aspinall or Leonard Gates in the round of 32.
Luke Humphries, the 2024 world champion and number two seed, is one of the players contending in the alternate round on Monday night, which begins at 1900 GMT.
before in the event, Humphries will take on Paul Lim, 71, who came the oldest player to win a PDC World Championship match. The winner will face Clemens in round three.
Aspinall, the former World Matchplay champion, and Gian van Veen, the winner of the European Championship, will both be hoping to get to the third round.
How did Ricky Evans perform in the third round?
Evans, comprising 88.19 with eight 180s, called the palm” weird but box office” and faced either Nathan Aspinall or Leonard Gates next, marking his third successive third-round appearance.
The palm over Wade, who missed a match outrage, highlights Evans’ adaptability despite seven missed brickbats of his own, situating the world No. 43 for an implicit deep run at Alexandra Palace.
Wade conceded the match’s intensity, noting he missed a match outrage at double five while leading 4- 3 in the decider, and praised Evans’ adaptability despite seven missed brickbats. The seventh seed called it a” suspenser” and his fourth straight early exit, comprising 88.19, while pressuring Evans as” box office” despite the” weird” style that settled the worries.