José de Sousa and Daryl Gurney battle through at PDC world championship
José de Sousa and Daryl Gurney were the biggest names in action on day three of the PDC world darts championship, and both seeds overcame scares to reach the third round.
In the evening session, De Sousa earned his first-ever win at Alexandra Palace, fighting back from a set down to beat Ross Smith 3-1. The No 14 seed is a dark horse for the title after a breakthrough year, winning the Grand Slam of Darts in November.
The Portuguese player, nicknamed ‘The Special One’, had lost in the first round on his last three world championship appearances, and struggled in the first set as Smith took it 3-0. De Sousa hit back in style, finding his range to win six of the next eight legs.
Kent’s Smith began the fourth set with a 127 checkout, but his opponent showed no signs of nerves, taking the next three legs to seal a third-round meeting with either Mervyn King or Max Hopp.
“I’m really happy to get my first win here, it’s really amazing for me,” De Sousa said afterwards. “I think there is more pressure on me now, but I just played my game. I think I’m one of the best players in the world in this moment.”
In the afternoon session, Northern Irishman Gurney took on the Republic of Ireland’s William O’Connor. The No 11 seed has been in poor form but started brightly, sweeping into a 2-0 lead with a 100+ average.
O’Connor showed his trademark resilience, hitting a 122 checkout to take the fourth set and set up a decider. Gurney got back in front with a break of throw in the next leg, and closed out a 3-2 win.
“I have been awful recently by my own standards,” Gurney told PDC.tv after the match. “I feel like the standard is moving on and I don’t want to get left behind. I knew it would be a tough game today so I’m pleased to get through it.”
In Thursday’s first-round matches, Welshman Jamie Lewis came from 2-0 down to beat Luke Woodhouse and set up a meeting with compatriot Price. Devon’s Ryan Searle also prevailed 3-2 in his match against US qualifier Danny Lauby Jr.
Elsewhere, Scotland’s Ryan Murray set up a second-round meeting with Michael van Gerwen with a 3-1 win over Lourence Ilagan. Latvia’s Madars Razma will play Gary Anderson next after easing past Japan’s Toru Suzuki.
In a battle of Ally Pally debutants,
Welsh-Japanese player Edward Foulkes overcame Dutchman Mike de Decker 3-0. “I was very nervous, but I am happy with how I played,” said Foulkes, who has qualified despited limited experience with steel-tip darts.
“I have been playing soft-tip darts in Japan for quite a long time,” Foulkes added. “I’m looking forward to my next game [against the No 30 seed, Brendan Dolan]. If I play my best, maybe I can win.”