PDC World Darts Championship day 12: Phil Taylor edges closer to final after beating Gary Anderson
A review of the action on the 12th day of the PDC World Darts Championship as Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor advanced.
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Taylor holds off Anderson fightback
Phil Taylor produced an impressive front-running display to beat Gary Anderson 5-3 and retain hopes of ending his career on a high.
The 16-time world champion won six legs in succession in the middle of the match to open up a two-set lead and while Anderson cut the deficit and threatened to force a decider, Taylor did enough to get over the line.
Anderson lost the match in the fourth set, when from 2-0 up he lost 3-2 and took time to recover, his improved darts to win sets six and seven ultimately not enough to complete the turnaround.
"It was a struggle, my energy levels went down towards the end," Taylor told Sky Sports.
"But I just knew I had to keep putting him under pressure. Gary's done a lot more work than me this year. He's been everywhere, done everything and has a young baby, so it's difficult for him.
"It's the greatest feeling in the world hearing the fans chant my name and I'm going to miss it after this week."
Taylor took all three of his chances in the opening set before Anderson produced a 12-dart leg despite a bounce-out to draw level by breaking back in the second.
The third set again went against the throw as Taylor took all three legs as Anderson struggled to find his range, which then allowed Taylor to steal the fourth set from 2-0 down thanks to some quality doubles under pressure.
Taylor moved within a set of the semi-finals by dominating the fifth but a 115 checkout from Anderson at the start of the sixth set threatened to change the complexion of the game as the Scot clawed his way back to a 4-3 deficit.
Anderson forced Taylor to throw for the match and he opened the door with a throw of 46, only for the two-time champion to respond with a meagre 39.
More chances would come for Anderson but throws of 58, 60 and 44 from 222 were not good enough as Taylor finally ended an enthralling battle on double 10.
Despite starting in electric form on the doubles, it was Taylor's superior scoring which ultimately made the difference as he hit 12 maximums to Anderson's eight and averaged 102.02.
Anderson warmed to his task late on but, in the end, gave himself too much to do. It's now over to Jamie Lewis, the Welshman who qualified at the 11th hour, to attempt to earn a place in history by being the final man to beat Taylor at the event he has made his own.
MVG taken the distance
Michael van Gerwen survived a scare from countryman Raymond van Barneveld to reach the semi-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship with a 5-4 success.
The two-time champion was as sluggish as he's been in months at the start of this quarter-final clash but still looked set to coast through, before some inspired darts by van Barneveld somehow forced a deciding set.
Van Gerwen finally took control when van Barneveld missed three darts to move within a leg of the final, allowing the tournament favourite to throw for the match and ultimately finish the job on double five.
It was a subdued start from both players and, with that, a subdued atmosphere as the pair traded breaks of throw, van Gerwen ultimately taking the lead after three missed darts for the opening set from his opponent.
Van Barneveld responded to take the second, at which point both players were averaging around the 92 mark with the anticipated fireworks nowhere to be seen.
The third set saw van Barneveld again miss darts for it, this time two, and it was his profligacy rather than van Gerwen's scoring which saw the younger man add the fourth set to lead 3-1.
In a match which produced 18 breaks of throw, van Barneveld took the fifth set from 2-0 down, sealing it with a 101 checkout on his favoured double 18.
By now, van Barneveld had found his range on the doubles, with checkouts of 91 and 121, the latter his second of the match, paving the way for a convincing success in the sixth set to level the game.
A missed dart at double at the beginning of the seventh proved costly for van Barneveld as van Gerwen again moved ahead, but there was one more twist in store as van Barneveld hit double 11 under immense pressure to force a deciding set.
The five-time world champion was now on the verge of a famous upset having touched 25/1 in-play, taking the first leg of the final set, but his failure to take out 89 in six darts turned the tide decisively in favour of van Gerwen.
The defending champion cruised through the final leg and was ultimately a deserving winner, turning around his average to 102.91 and hitting 12 maximums as he stayed on course for a third world title.
"At the beginning Raymond was playing well and I was struggling a little bit," Van Gerwen told Sky Sports.
"I think everyone could only dream of a quarter-final like this because we both averaged a quite good standard.
"I'm really glad I was the winner. He played really good. I didn't expect him to keep his motivation up so long. He normally shakes his head when he's behind but he didn't do that.
"That's a positive thing for him but the negative thing is I'm through to the next round."
Lewis whitewashes Webster
Preliminary round qualifier Jamie Lewis continued his dream run at the PDC World Darts Championship with a 5-0 quarter-final thrashing of Darren Webster.
A close game was anticipated in the first quarter on Friday afternoon, with Welshman Lewis edging market favouritism around the 4/5 mark, but he made those odds look ridiculous with an impressive display against the relatively experienced Webster, averaging 101.26 and hitting 14 maximums en route to victory.
Webster now faces either Phil Taylor or Gary Anderson, who meet later on today.
He told Sky Sports: "I can't quite believe it, it's not really sinking in. I'm so chuffed with that game, I thought it was maybe going to go 5-4, 5-3 either way, so to come out of that 5-0 - I'm chuffed to bits.
"I'm trying to relax and keep focused and it seems to be working. I'll just have to try and keep going.
"I'm looking forward to it (playing a former champion in the semi-finals). I've nothing to lose now I'm into the semis and I've just got to go up there and play my own game."
Cross edges epic clash
In the second quarter-final, Rob Cross held off a spirited fightback from Dimitri Van den Bergh to win a thrilling match 5-4.
Cross claimed a 2-0 lead but Van den Bergh hit back before missing crucial darts as Cross took the fourth set to lead 3-1.
Cross took the fifth set but his Belgian opponent refused to give up and he won the next two sets to make it 4-3.
Kent-born Cross appeared to be feeling the pressure as he missed four key darts as he searched for a finish to allow Van den Bergh to win two legs in the eighth, giving him the chance to level the match on his own throw.
The 23-year-old did just that after taking three darts to find the double eight needed to force a deciding set.
Van den Bergh took the first leg then missed double 16 for an incredible bull-bull-D16 132 checkout, with Cross landing double six to level at 1-1.
Cross then broke Van den Bergh's throw with a double 16 finish to throw for the match, finally claiming the win with double one after both players missed a series of finishes in a tense ending.
Cross told Sky Sports: "Honestly, the best player lost. It wasn't good enough and this man (Van den Bergh) was hitting everything, he's going to be a special player.
"For whatever reason, I wasn't right and he almost punished me. I'm happy to win and you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, but it (my game) has got to get better.
"Whoever I play in the semis, if I play my game then I'll be in there with a chance."
Van den Bergh said: "At 4-1 down I kept saying to myself 'keep battling' and 'keep chasing my dream'. But it wasn't to be. I hope Rob can go all the way now."
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