Dave Chisnall thrashes Michael van Gerwen to reach PDC semi-final
Dave Chisnall sent Michael van Gerwen crashing out of the PDC World Championship with a shock 5-0 victory over the world No 1 in Friday night’s quarterfinals at Alexandra Palace.
In a superb display Chisnall averaged 107.34 and hit 14 180s as the world
No 8 whitewashed the three-times champion Van Gerwen and moved into the semi-finals of the competition for the first time.
Chisnall’s last-four opponent will be the two-times winner Gary Anderson, while the other semi-final will be between Gerwyn Price and Stephen Bunting. The emphatic win by Chisnall – who almost registered a nine-dart leg, missing a double 12 – ended a run of
27 matches without a victory over Van
Gerwen.
The 40-year-old Englishman told
Sky Sports: “I’m so proud. I’ve been practising well, I’ve been playing well this.”“IwasconfidentagainstDimitriroomwatchingtheTV.
I’d say for the last three, four weeks.D [Van den Burgh in the previous round] “I want it [the world title] more than efeat left Van Gerwen “absolutely I have put the effort in. I changed my and this morning when I woke up I was anybody else does. I know my own abildevastated”. He added on Twitter: “I points to a little bit smaller. confident again, just sitting in my hotel ity, I know I’m playing well. I can win didn’t show up at all this evening and let myself down. For some reason it just never happened up there.
“Full credit to @ChizzyChisnall who was outstanding all game, and wish him luck for the rest of the tournament. Thank you for the support.”
Anderson earlier defeated Dirk Van Duijvenbode, losing the opening set before surging to a 5-1 triumph. The Scot, who averaged 101.07, said: “That was good. First set Dirk went off like he did and I played actually all right – I went: ’Here we go.’ But I stuck in.”
Asked if we were seeing the Anderson of 2015 and 2016, the years he won the title, the 50-year-old said: “Not quite yet. It’s getting there.
“The 140s are coming good now. Still a few mistakes, but happy.”
He added: “If I wasn’t to win this title I’d love to see Chizzy [Chisnall] win it. He’s been on the go for years and he is a phenomenal darts player.”
Price reached his second successive semi-final as the Welsh world No 3 beat Daryl Gurney 5-4. Bunting secured a maiden last-four appearance via a 5-3 win against Krzysztof Ratajski.