The PDC confirmed this on Tuesday evening (December 28th, 2021) on Twitter. Chris Dobey, who should actually have played against the Dutchman, comes into the round of the last 16 with a bye.
Third year without a world title in a row
For van Gerwen, world champion in 2014, 2017 and 2019, this means that he will be without a world championship title for the third year in a row. The longest losing streak since his first triumph. The day before, van Gerwen’s compatriot Vincent van der Voort had tested positive for the virus. He was also eliminated without a fight.
Wright and Cross celebrate close victories
Peter Wright turned a 2-0 deficit later that evening and reached the round of 16. Nicknamed “Snakebite”, the Scot won 4-2 against Australian Damon Heta after starting off very poorly. Wright came on stage with green-toned hair and a Christmas outfit with printed balls and candles.
Before Wright, ex-world champion Rob Cross had bought his ticket for the round of 16. The Englishman prevailed 4-3 in a high-quality match against Northern Irishman Daryl Gurney and could face Scottish Gary Anderson in the round of 16. In the afternoon, the English co-favorite Joe Cullen was eliminated. In the afternoon he surprisingly lost 3: 4 to the Dutchman Martijn Kleermaker.
The situation for organizers is becoming more difficult
For the PDC, the final week in the Alexandra Palace could be a very complicated challenge. There are no more successors in this phase of the tournament, instead more and more games could be canceled in further corona cases and the value of the World Cup could be seriously questioned. Before the tournament, the Spaniard Juan Rodriguez was already out due to the pandemic. “Mighty Mike”, as van Gerwen is called, is now the first really big name.
But not only the situation with the players is tricky, but also the backdrop in north London. So far, full capacity utilization under 3G rules (vaccinated, convalescent and negative tested) is permitted in the “Ally Pally”. Distance and masks often only play a minor role in an exuberant mood and excessive beer consumption.
dpa / red
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Status: 12/28/2021, 11:29 PM