PDC World Championship - Report Eleventh Day
WADE COMEBACK STUNS SMITH AS LEWIS & KING REACH THIRD ROUND
James Wade produced a stirring comeback from three sets down as he edged out Andy Smith in a seven-set thriller at the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship on Monday, as Adrian Lewis and Mervyn King set up a tasty third round clash at Alexandra Palace with victories.World number six Wade, a three-time World Championship semi-finalist, again showed his class under the most extreme pressure as he stared defeat in the face for a second successive round before emerging victorious.
The left-hander had seen Darren Webster miss six match darts in their first round clash, and this time punished Smith for two wasted opportunities to take victory in a dramatic deciding set of their game. Smith had produced some superb finishing as he won the game's first three sets, twice a set in a deciding leg and also hitting a 161 finish in taking the second set 3-1. Wade hit back to win the fourth set 3-1 and repeated the scoreline in the fifth, before claiming the deciding leg of set six to send the match all the way. Smith took a 2-1 lead in the final set, only to miss two match darts at double 16 to allow Wade to hit tops to level and keep the game alive, before finishing 122 on the bull and 100 with two double tops to complete a gutsy fightback.
"At 3-0 down I just to myself to try and make a game of it, and somehow I've managed to come back and win," said Wade. "I always show fight because I'm stubborn. I should have lost the game but after he missed the shot to beat me I didn't look back. In the first game I was very lucky but tonight I believe I was unlucky to be 3-0 down. Some of my darts were so close to going in and being great scores or great finishes. When I was 3-1 down I could have been two-all quite easily."
Two-time World Champion Lewis posted the highest average of the tournament so far at 103.68 in a superb 4-1 win over Vincent van der Voort.
The Stoke star, seeded third for the event, produced a stunning 146 finish to win the deciding leg of the game's opening set before sweeping through the second without reply. Van der Voort produced some fine darts to win set three 3-0, hitting legs of 13 and 14 darts in the process, but saw his chance to level the contest in the fourth snatched away as Lewis followed up an 11-darter earlier in the set by taking out 112 for a 12-dart leg in the decider. Lewis then took out 125 to lead with another 12-darter in the fifth set, and took his tally of 180s for the match to nine as he moved 2-1 up before finishing 85 to complete the win.
"I've been watching the darts all week and I'd not seen a 100 average go in yet, so I thought I'd send out a little marker for the other players to see what they've got!" said Lewis. "My finishing was really sharp but I wanted to put a good performance in and I was happy to get over the line. It was really tough and if I wasn't for the 146 checkout in the first set it could have been curtains for me because he was playing really well, and it's shots like that which pull you through."
Former semi-finalist King booked his place in the third round against Lewis with a 4-2 victory over youngster Ricky Evans in a quick-fire contest.
After King took the first set 3-1, Evans landed a 138 finish in edging the second in a deciding leg to level, before the Norfolk ace - a two-time Lakeside Championship finalist - won the third set in a fifth leg. Evans again hit back to level the game, taking the fourth set without reply in a brilliant set, which included a showpiece 125 finish of bullseye, outer bull and bullseye. King raised his game to win the fifth set 3-0, and though the World Youth Championship finalist finished 120 to lead 2-1 in the sixth, the number 14 seed took the next two legs to seal his last 16 spot.
"That's the third time I've played Ricky and he's getting better and better," said King. "I knew I was going to be up against it and he's a courageous young player who plays his own game. I tried to get rid of him early doors but he wouldn't go away and he taught me a lesson in the fourth set so I can't complain to be coming away with a 4-2 victory. My game's coming and I'm working really hard at it. I'm trying to get myself back up there in the rankings to where I believe I should be, well inside the top ten. I've had three years of not really doing as well as I could do; working hard but nothing really coming of it and now it's starting to show in my game a little bit and it's filling me with a bit of confidence."