Former world champion Rob Cross confidently advanced to the round of 16 at the Darts World Cup in London. The sixth seeded Englishman clearly outclassed his compatriot Mervyn King 4:1 and now meets the conqueror of two-time world champion Gary Anderson, Chris Dobey.
Co-favorite Luke Humphries (England), who knocked out German starter Florian Hempel in round two, also made it into the round of 16. World number five defeated Dutchman Vincent van der Voort 4:3 in the last third round match.
Despite weakness in the doubles, the 27-year-old Humphries won the first two sets. Then world number 28 bit. van der Voort came into play, punished the Englishman’s mistakes and equalized twice in sets. But in the decisive round Humphries was wide awake, managed a quick break, checked the 140 and also got the third leg to a trembling victory.
Humphries’ next opponent is Stephen Bunting, who defeated Dave Chisnall 4-2 after a show of strength in the English duel. After “Chizzy” quickly won the set, the 37-year-old turned up the heat, won six legs in a row and provided a highlight with a 140 finish. Chisnall fought back, but the world number 21 had the better end of a high-quality game. Bunting, who was able to celebrate after his third match dart.
Meanwhile, the Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode won 4: 3 against the world number 19 after a real thriller. RossSmith. The 30-year-old only managed the decisive break against the European champions England in the eleventh and last leg of the seventh round. In the round of 16, the “Titan” now faces a duel with his compatriot, the three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.