LEWIS, ANDERSON & NICHOLSON HOLD THEIR NERVE TO PROGRESS
ADRIAN LEWIS, Gary Anderson and Paul Nicholson won through to the William Hill Grand Slam of Darts knockout stage on Tuesday night, as Belgian brothers Kim and Ronny
Huybrechts set up a second round meeting at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall.
The final night of group matches proved another dramatic affair as the remaining five places alongside the already-qualified Phil Taylor, James Wade and Ronny Huybrechts in the last 16 were decided.
Lewis held off a fightback from Dutchman Christian Kist to prevail 5-3 in their Group C decider as he joined Ronny Huybrechts in moving through to the last 16, where he now plays Premier League Darts champion Michael van Gerwen.
"I managed to get the job done in the end but I made it hard work for myself," admitted Lewis. "I moved 4-0 up and felt comfortable but then I just took my foot of the gas which was disappointing, but my scoring was excellent.I'm looking to playing Michael in the next round. I've had the better of him a few times this year and I want to keep that run going. I'm going to go into the game with a lot of confidence."
Anderson produced a performance of the highest quality as he swept past Peter Wright 5-1 with a 111.80 average, sealing victory with successive checkouts of 121 and 144 as he powered through from Group B alongside Wade.
"It's been a while since I beat Peter so I went up on stage to relax and enjoy myself and I'm really happy to get through," said Anderson, who now faces Phil Taylor in a repeat of the 2011 final.
I've been inconsistent so far this week. I played lovely like that on Saturday and then on Sunday it was atrocious, so hopefully I can keep this up - and I'll have to against Phil because he's been brilliant in the last few months."
Nicholson, meanwhile, was a 5-2 winner against Stuart Kellett in their decisive Group A clash, hitting five doubles from seven attempts in a strong performance to move through to a clash with Wade.
"I did a good job tonight and it means a huge amount to me to qualify," said Nicholson, a former quarter-finalist at the Wolves Civic.
"I've done the right things over the last two or three months, I've focused on my darts and on my life away from the game. I think I've found a place now where I feel settled and I want to keep improving on that to achieve what I believe I can do. James and I always have good games and I've got that little ghost in my closet about the game with James in my first World Championship because it was one of my worst games on TV. I've got to learn to beat the likes of James Wade, every game's different and I've got to try and stop him."
Four-time Grand Slam of Darts champion Taylor topped Group A with a third successive victory as he whitewashed Kevin Painter 5-0 with another brilliant display - averaging over 104 and denying his opponent a dart at a double during a ten-minute triumph.
"I'm delighted to have come through the group with three wins," said Taylor. "Kevin played well and deserved more than he got but I didn't give him a chance. I was ruthless. It was a tough group, so to lose just one leg is a really good feeling going towards the knockout stages. I can get better despite the brilliant year I've had and I'll working hard to improve my standards."
Wade, the 2010 runner-up at the Wolves Civic, completed a third successive Group B win as he swept aside Dutchman Wesley Harms 5-2, hitting a 127 finish in another strong performance.
Belgian debutant Ronny Huybrechts was the other player on the night to pick up a third straight victory, hitting five doubles from six attempts in a 5-3 win over young prospect Richie George.
Huybrechts' wait to find out his second round opponent was eventually over when younger brother Kim saw van Gerwen come from 4-1 down to win 5-4 in their Group D clash - meaning that the siblings now face off on Thursday.
"I'm really happy and I didn't expect to win all three games, and to finish top in a group which includes two World Champions is very nice," said Ronny, a 47-year-old who only turned professional in January.
"It was hard to concentrate for the last game because I already knew I was through. My scoring wasn't that good but I was really happy with my finishing, because Richie is a good young player and he was good on his own legs. To play Kim is a game that I didn't want, but at the same time I want to win it and obviously I believe I can win it. It's very special, and when I think that I've only been a professional this year, to achieve what I have is a dream and it's very special to travel around the world with my brother and share these wonderful experiences."
Kim, who partnered his brother to the final of the PDC World Cup of Darts for Belgium in February, finished second in Group D ahead of Dean Winstanley, who lost 5-3 to Vincent van der Voort in their final group game as the Dutchman gained a consolation victory following two earlier losses.
"I was very down after I lost my first group match with Dean Winstanley, but I picked myself up and I'm delighted to get through," said Kim, who turns 28 on Saturday. I wasn't thinking about whether I would play Ronny when I was up on stage against Michael, I was just focusing on getting the one leg I needed to qualify, and after that I relaxed and played some good darts. Now I've got my worst possible opponent! I love my brother to bits and he's my best friend, and I'd do anything for him - but when we get up on stage he will be my biggest enemy! One of us will be in the quarter-finals, so it will be a proud night for the Huybrechts family."
Statistics
| Ave | 180s | Doubles | Player | v | Player | Ave | 180s | Doubles |
| 92.14 | 1 | 5/6 | R.Huybrechts | 5:3 | George | 87.07 | 1 | 3/10 |
| 104.38 | 1 | 5/5 | Taylor | 5:0 | Painter | 98.45 | 0 | 0/0 |
| 96.94 | 0 | 5/17 | Wade | 5:2 | Harms | 91.17 | 2 | 2/13 |
| 85.73 | 1 | 3/10 | Winstanley | 3:5 | v.Voort | 89.63 | 1 | 5/17 |
| 93.96 | 2 | 5/7 | Nicholson | 5:2 | Kellett | 86.26 | 0 | 2/3 |
| 98.75 | 0 | 5/11 | v.Gerwen | 5:4 | K.Huybrechts | 91.04 | 2 | 4/8 |
| 94.15 | 5 | 5/11 | Lewis | 5:3 | Kist | 90.79 | 2 | 3/12 |
| 111.80 | 2 | 5/6 | Anderson | 5:1 | Wright | 99.90 | 0 | 1/3 |