Melbourne Darts Masters: Damon Heta 33/1 to complete a World Series double after his 250/1 triumph in Brisbane
Damon Heta is bidding for a quite incredible World Series double this weekend but he's no longer a dangerous 'unknown' quantity.
The Australian headed into the Brisbane Darts Masters as a 250/1 outsider last Friday but stunned four major winners, including two world champions, in James Wade, Gary Anderson, Simon Whitlock and Rob Cross to claim an astonishing first televised PDC title that nobody expected.
Even the man himself described his winning moment at "unexplainable".
Heta, who triumphed on his 32nd birthday, may well be the Dart Players Australia number one after an impressive season Down Under but he'd only played in five televised PDC events prior to last weekend since his debut in Sydney back in 2014, winning just two matches.
At least you won't ever get VAR ruining celebrations and emotion in darts. An amazing moment from huge outsider Damon Heta to win the Brisbane Darts Masters in a deciding leg on his birthday! He beat four major winners to do it!pic.twitter.com/zsM2JfnZ7K
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) August 10, 2019
The Heat is the first Australian to make a final of a World Series event since Kyle Anderson and Corey Cadby contested the 2017 Auckland Darts Masters, and the first to do so in his home country, let alone win one.
Now he intends to come over to the UK and take up the sport full-time and who could blame it after well and truly proving he can mix it with the very best.
This weekend he's as short as 33/1 to complete what would be a quite incredible World Series double when he competes in the Melbourne Darts Masters.
Heta, who will start his campaign against Wade on Friday, said: "Hopefully I’ll be able to come over to the UK soon and when I do people better watch out."
"I know what I can do and how good I can be and in Brisbane I showed the world.
“I had to pinch myself just to make sure it was really happening. To do that in front of an Australian crowd was just unexplainable, it was amazing.
"I just grew throughout the whole tournament. I have been worked hard for that moment and it’s paid off in the end and I am just super stoked."
The favourite for glory is the out of sorts Michael van Gerwen although his odds of 7/4 are probably the biggest they've ever been before any tournament since the era of his dominance began.
The Dutchman was defeated 8-5 by Daryl Gurney in the quarter-finals in Brisbane as his run of averaging less than 100 stretched into a 14th match.
MVG, whose World Matchplay hopes were ended by Glen Durrant in Blackpool, may have bagged a fifth Masters, fifth Premier League and six other events this season since his third world title but since claiming the last of those at the O2, he's almost been a shadow of his former self.
Next in the running is Brisbane runner-up Rob Cross at just 4/1 while defending Melbourne champion Peter Wright is 6/1 alongside his World Cup winning team-mate Gary Anderson.
Melbourne Darts Masters: Draw & Tournament bracket
CLICK HERE FOR FULL TOURNAMENT RESULTS
- (1) Peter Wright v Corey Cadby
- Raymond van Barneveld v Haupai Puha
- (4) Michael van Gerwen v Tim Pusey
- Gary Anderson v James Bailey
- (2) Rob Cross v Robbie King
- James Wade v Damon Heta
- (3) Daryl Gurney v Kyle Anderson
- Simon Whitlock v Mick Lacey
World Series of Darts: 2019 Event Calendar
- US Darts Masters – July 4-5, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas (Winner: Nathan Aspinall)
- German Darts Masters – July 12-13, LANXESS Arena, Cologne (Winner: Peter Wright)
- Brisbane Darts Masters – August 9-10, BCEC, Brisbane (Winner: Damon Heta)
- Melbourne Darts Masters – August 16-17, Melbourne Arena
- NZ Darts Masters – August 23-24, Claudelands Arena, Hamilton
- World Series of Darts Finals - November 1-3, AFAS Live, Amsterdam
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