Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen has criticised Peter Wright’s World Darts Championship claims as “nonsense” and labelled tournament favourite Luke Littler’s form a “disappointment”.
Van Gerwen booked a quarter-final date with Callan Rydz courtesy of a 4-2 victory over Jeffrey de Graaf on Monday night and, afterwards, the world No 3 took aim at Wright’s assertion that Rydz should be favourite.
Rydz is unseeded but has produced the two highest averages of the tournament so far – 107.06 vs Romeo Grbavac in his opening match, and 105.31 in a thumping 4-0 thrashing of 11th seed Dimitri Van den Bergh in the third round.
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Van Gerwen roars with passion after beating Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2 to reach the quarter-finals
“I want to play like Callan Rydz,” Wright said after knocking out defending champion Luke Humphries in the fourth round. “He should be favourite for this tournament. He’s playing superb darts and long may it carry on.”
This came after Wright had already made headlines when saying he was “ready to upset Luke Littler” and “here to upset Luke Humphries”, who called out his “mind games” prior to losing to the two-time Alexandra Palace champion.
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Luke Humphries fired back at Wright’s comments that the reigning champion wouldn’t even make the fourth round at the World Darts Championship
“Every year at the Worlds, he talks so much nonsense,” Van Gerwen said of Wright’s latest comments.
“He’s always allowed to talk crap. No one takes him serious on the tour as well because he’s not allowed an opinion at home.”
Asked about his opponent in the last eight, Rydz, Van Gerwen told Sky Sports: “I think he’s got the highest tournament average so far, so you can’t underestimate him.
“I think he’s playing some fantastic darts, but we’re going to see. It’s going to be first to five sets, it’s a totally different game.”
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Relive Wright’s winning darts and emotional post-match interview after he beat defending champion Humphries to advance to the quarter-finals
He added: “When I play well, I don’t panic. When I keep focus, when I keep believing in my own ability, anything is possible. I’m not here for the jolly, I’m here to win a tournament, and we all know that.”
For Van Gerwen to win, he could have to face tournament favourite, 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 matches through to the quarter-finals, including an impressive 103.13 in beating Ryan Joyce in the fourth round, albeit while being forced into a final-set decider.
His 4-3 victory means Littler has dropped five sets through the tournament so far, just one fewer than his entire run to the final last year.
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John Part says Littler is not unbeatable in this year’s World Darts Championship
“I think the biggest disappointment so far is Luke Littler,” Van Gerwen added in his press conference, prior to Littler’s win over Joyce. “A lot of people are expecting a lot of him, that’s the reason why he is not 100 per cent.”
Quizzed over Van Gerwen’s comments after confirming his place in the last eight, where he’ll face 12th seed Nathan Aspinall, Littler said: “It might answer a few questions but I’m just happy with the result, happy with the power scoring.”
What’s next at the Worlds?
The action at the World Darts Championship resumes on New Year’s Day, with each of Wednesday’s two sessions featuring two quarter-finals.
The afternoon session will see Chris Dobey face 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, before three-time winner Michael van Gerwen takes on Callan Rydz.
What promises to be a spectacular evening session will start with two-time champion Peter Wright taking on Stephen Bunting, before Luke Littler goes up against Nathan Aspinall.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
