The 38-year-old Saarlander clearly beat the Welsh 3-0 after a few teething problems Youngster Lewy Williams through and is like last year in the round of the last 32. Clemens meets on Monday (December 27th, 2021) Premier League-Winner Jonny Clayton from Wales.
Christmas in London
Christmas must be the “German Giant“, as Clemens is called, because of the strict quarantine rules in the British capital. Clemens will start as a clear outsider against Clayton. In the duel with the young Williams, Clemens benefited from the fact that his opponent missed almost all chances for double fields. He himself was merciless in this regard, converting six out of seven throws in the first two sets.
An otherwise average performance over long distances was enough for the German professional to reach the next round. Florian Hempel is also still represented in the tournament. After defeating Belgian world number five, Dimitri van den Bergh, he is in round three and will face Australian outsider Raymond Smith on Monday (4 p.m.).
Cross throws van Barneveld out
Rob Cross, meanwhile, won the clash between the ex-world champions and threw Raymond van Barneveld out of the tournament. The 31-year-old Englishman prevailed 3-1 in a high-class match against his rival from the Netherlands on Thursday evening and will now face Northern Irish Daryl Gurney in round three.
Cross had won the world title against record champion Phil Taylor on his debut in 2018. Van Barneveld’s five trophies (1998, 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007) at the most important tournament in the world are a long way behind. After retiring in December 2019, the 54-year-old returned to the tour just a year ago.
Suljovic is out
In the afternoon, the seeded Austrian Mensur Suljovic had already said goodbye. The veteran lost 3-2 to Scottish Alan Soutar after leading 2-0 and forgetting several match darts. The Portuguese José de Sousa prevailed 3-2 against the Englishman Jason Lowe. The third round begins on December 27th. Then even seasoned professionals can compete against each other. The finals at Alexandra Palace will take place on January 3rd.
dpa
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Status: 23.12.2021, 11:01 p.m.