Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen has slammed Peter Wright’s World Darts Championship claims as “nonsense” and labeled tournament favorite Luke Littler’s form as “disappointing”.
Van Gerwen cruised to a 4-2 win over Geoffrey de Graaf with Callan Rydges on Monday night and the world No 3 then took aim at Wright’s claim that Rydges should be favourite.
Rydes is unseeded but has recorded the two highest averages of the tournament so far, 107.06 against Romeo Grbavac in his opening match and 105.31 in a 4-0 third round thrashing of 11th seed Dimitri Van den Bergh.
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Van Gerwen beats Geoffrey de Graaf 4-2 to reach quarter-finals
“I want to play like Kellan Reeds,” Wright said after knocking out defending champion Luke Humphreys in the fourth round. “He’s got to be the favorite in this tournament. He’s playing great darts and long may it continue.”
It came after Wright had already made headlines when he said he was “ready to upset Luke Littler” and “here to upset Luke Humphreys”, who called out his “mind games” before losing to the two-time Alexandra Palace champion.
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Luke Humphreys responded to Wright’s comments that the reigning champion will not even make it to the fourth round of the World Darts Championship.
“Every year at Worlds, he talks so much nonsense,” Van Gerwen said of Wright’s recent comments.
“He’s always allowed to talk nonsense. No one takes him seriously on tour because he’s not allowed to speak his mind at home.”
Asked about his last eight opponent Reeds, Van Gerwen said Sky Sports“I think he’s got the highest average of the tournament so far, so you can’t underestimate him.
“I think he’s playing fantastic darts, but we’ll see. It’s going to be in the first to five sets, it’s a completely different game.”
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Relive Wright’s winning darts and emotional post-match interview after he beat defending champion Humphreys to reach the quarter-finals.
“When I play well, I don’t panic. When I stay focused, everything is possible. I’m not here to win the tournament, and we all know that.”
For Van Gerwen to win, he could face the tournament favorite and last year’s runner-up Littler in the final.
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Highlights of Luke Littler’s fourth round match with Ryan Joyce at the World Darts Championship
The 17-year-old has twice averaged over 100 in his three quarter-final matches, including an impressive 103.13 to beat Ryan Joyce in the fourth round despite being forced into a final-round decider.
His 4-3 victory means Littler has dropped five sets so far in the tournament, just one less than his entire run to last year’s final.
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John Part says Littler is not unbeatable at this year’s World Darts Championship
“I think the biggest disappointment so far is Luke Littler,” Van Gerwen added in his press conference ahead of Littler’s win over Joyce. “A lot of people expect a lot from him, that’s why he’s not 100 percent.”
Addressing Van Gerwen’s comments after confirming his place in the last eight, where he will face 12th seed Nathan Aspinall, Littler said: “
What’s next for the world?
Action at the World Darts Championships resumes on New Year’s Day, with each of Wednesday’s two sessions featuring two quarter-finals.
Chris Dobbie takes on 2021 champion Gerwyn Price in the afternoon, before three-time winner Michael van Gerwen takes on Callan Ridge.
What promises to be a spectacular evening session will kick off with two-time champion Peter Wright taking on Stephen Bunting before Luke Littler takes on Nathan Aspinall.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ special darts channel. Stream darts and better sports with NOW!.
