Brendan Dolan Dethrones Michael van Gerwen With Shocking Victory; We’re back for more World Matchplay action on Monday at the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool as the world’s top stars battle it out for the Phil Taylor Trophy, live on Sky Sports Action.
Brendan Dolan made further history by knocking out defending World Matchplay champion Michael van Gerwen in the first round in Blackpool on Sunday.
In one of the biggest upsets at Winter Gardens, Dolan put in a marvelous performance to stun the pre-tournament favorite 10-7.
Reigning champion Van Gerwen, who underwent dental surgery in June and has been playing through the pain barrier, began his Phil Taylor Trophy defense as firm favorite against world number 27 Dolan in the afternoon session. .
Sunday’s excellent double session saw eight first-round ties at the Empress Ballroom as world champion Michael Smith kicked off his title fight with a comfortable victory over Steve Beaton.
World Matchplay Round One: Sunday, July 16
| afternoon session | danny noppert | 10-8 | Martin Schindler |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | 12-10 | kim huybrechts | |
| damon heta | 10-5 | josh rock | |
| james wades | 8-10 | chris dobey | |
| afternoon session | nathan aspinall | 10-7 | Krzysztof Ratajski |
| luke humphries | 10-2 | Jose de Sousa | |
| michael van gerwen | 7-10 | Brendan Dolan | |
| michael smith | 10-2 | steve beaton |
Dolan, nicknamed ‘The History Maker’ after his nine-dart feats at the World Grand Prix in 2011, won four of the first five legs to lead Van Gerwen by three, but an impressive 137 from the Dutchman saw him level.
Dolan then opened up an 8-6 lead before making no mistakes with a clinical finish of 62 to move into a stage of a major upset.
The 49-year-old Northern Irishman dethroned the defending champions by scoring double three.
“To beat Michael van Gerwen on a big stage, I guess going into this he had extra pressure, he’s the defending champion. He was amazing in Poland last weekend and I know he’s suffering and trying to come back,” Dolan said. Sky sports.
“He’s probably not practicing as much as he’d like and it wasn’t the Michael that was there tonight that we would normally expect, but I’m over the moon.”.
“I made enough chances and I took enough of them to win the game.”
Brendan Dolan is a quality player, we know that. You can’t get better than these every night of the year. It’s over and let me tell you who else is glad Michael van Gerwen is out: it’s the nasty thing about this competition. Every other player in this event is happy that Brendan Dolan won because you don’t want all the heavy hitters involved. Now there is an opportunity for someone to reach a semi-final or final that they didn’t think they would have been. so easy.
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World number 1 Smith avoided the same fate as Van Gerwen, braving a sub-par performance to defeat the evergreen Beaton, making his 22nd World Matchplay appearance at the age of 59.
The opening exchanges were dominated by unsuccessful doubles, but a majestic 161 finish from Smith in the fifth leg catapulted him to a 4-1 lead, and the St Helens star converted a further two over two-tonne finishes to wrap up a victory. integral of 10-2. .
“I didn’t miss anything in practice, but I came here and I didn’t produce,” admitted Smith, who was left frustrated by his performance, despite the result.
“I think I pushed myself too hard instead of relaxing. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I’m still in the tournament and I’m going to take the win.”
“I won badly, and that’s something I couldn’t do a couple of years ago. I know the game is there and hopefully I can produce it Tuesday night.”
luke humphries he produced the tournament’s performance thus far in his 10-2 demolition of José de Sousa, averaging nearly 102 to see off the former Grand Slam champion.
nathan aspinall he shot eight 180s during his 10-7 win over 2021 semi-finalist Krzysztof Ratajski, producing a monstrous 151 payout to move to 7-4 and sealing his progress with an excellent 12-dart leg.
In the afternoon session, Dirk van Duijvenbode he won via a thrilling playoff against Kim Huybrechts, surviving two match darts to condemn the Belgian to his eighth first-round elimination in nine World Matchplay appearances.
chris dobey he ended his winless streak at Winter Gardens with a gripping 10-8 win over 2007 champion James Wade.
australian no 1 damon heta sporting a slouchy green cap and cricket bat for his Ashes-inspired walk-on, he celebrated his first win on the famous stage courtesy of a 10-5 smash against debutant Josh Rock.
Dutch danny noppertthe 2022 semi-finalist, survived a late scare to dismiss Martin Schindler in a grueling encounter.
World Matchplay Round One: Monday, July 17
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | against | Ross Smith |
| Ryan Searle | against | Raymond van Barneveld |
| peter wright | against | golden andres |
| Jonny Clayton | against | gabriel clementes |
Peter Wright, the 2021 champion, enters the fray as the first round draws to a close on Monday night, and the world number 2 will play UK Open champion Andrew Gilding for a place in the last 16.
Raymond van Barneveld will also return to World Matchplay, with the five-time world champion securing his qualification after a five-year hiatus.
“I really feel like I’m coming back and I’m proud of myself for it,” insisted Van Barneveld, who will face 15th seed Ryan Searle in the first round.
“It feels great to be back in Blackpool, I get goosebumps just thinking about it. It’s like a World Championship in the summer, the atmosphere there is brilliant.”
Meanwhile, 2020 champion Dimitri Van den Bergh takes on European champion Ross Smith in Monday’s opener, before Wales’ World Cup winner Jonny Clayton takes on Germany’s number 1. , Gabriel Clemens.
We’re back for more World Matchplay action at the iconic Winter Gardens on Monday at 7pm as the world’s top stars battle it out for the Phil Taylor Trophy, live on Sky Sports Action.
