PHIL TAYLOR will begin his bid to win a third TABtouch Perth Darts Masters title against Kyle Anderson on Friday, as Corey Cadby and Raymond van Barneveld meet once again on the World Series of Darts stage.
Legendary 16-time World Champion Taylor took victory in the first two years of the Perth Darts Masters in 2014 and 2015, and warmed up for his return to Western Australia by winning last weekend's Melbourne Darts Masters.
The 57-year-old will meet August's other World Series of Darts winner, Auckland Darts Masters champion Kyle Anderson, in a plum first round tie after being paired with the Perth-born star.
"It will be tough against Kyle because his confidence is up at the moment and he's a really good player," said Taylor. "I've loved it in Perth before and it will be great again this week.
"I'm looking forward to it and it's lovely in Perth, probably my favourite place in Australia so far."
Local hero Anderson said: "It's good to be home, I'm happy to be here.
"I've said before that if I get how I play on the floor onto TV then I can get to the end of the events and that's shown in the last couple of weeks.
"I'm playing well and I'm looking forward to seeing my family, playing in front of friends and hearing that roar again like I have for the last four years."
The opening night of the World Series of Darts event will also see Australia's World Youth Champion Cadby taking on five-time World Champion Van Barneveld for a second successive weekend, having won their meeting in Melbourne 6-4.
World number three Peter Wright, the runner-up in Melbourne, will take on Rhys Mathewson as they meet for a second successive week, with the Scottish ace winning 6-2 last Friday.
Top seed Gary Anderson drew New Zealand's Rob Szabo, while former Perth Darts Masters finalist James Wade, the number four seed, meets qualifier Darren Hayes, who is making his TV debut on Friday after winning through a knockout held in the Pilbara region of Western Australia.
Perth's Adam Rowe will take on former World Youth Champion Michael Smith, while New Zealand-born Koha Kokiri faces Daryl Gurney and top-ranked Australian Simon Whitlock comes up against Justin Thompson.
The TABtouch Perth Darts Masters will be held from August 25-27 at HBF Stadium in Perth. For tickets, visit www.downunderevents.com.au or www.ticketmaster.com.au.
Watch the draw at the OfficialPDC Facebook Channel
TABtouch Perth Darts Masters
Draw Bracket
Gary Anderson (1) v Rob Szabo
Simon Whitlock v Justin Thompson
James Wade (4) v Darren Hayes
Michael Smith v Adam Rowe
Phil Taylor (2) v Kyle Anderson
Raymond van Barneveld v Corey Cadby
Peter Wright (3) v Rhys Mathewson
Daryl Gurney v Koka Kokiri
Schedule of Play
Friday August 25 (7pm local time, 12pm BST)
First Round x8
Michael Smith v Adam Rowe
Peter Wright v Rhys Mathewson
Daryl Gurney v Koha Kokiri
James Wade v Darren Hayes
Simon Whitlock v Justin Thompson
Phil Taylor v Kyle Anderson
Gary Anderson v Rob Szabo
Raymond van Barneveld v Corey Cadby
Best of 11 legs
Saturday August 26 (7pm local time, 12pm BST)
Quarter-Finals
Best of 19 legs
Sunday August 27 (5pm local time, 10am BST)
Semi-Finals
Final
Best of 21 legs
Here we are... the stars of the @TAB_touch Perth Darts Masters! pic.twitter.com/1ocTT36Ioc
— Perth Darts Masters (@PerthDarts) August 23, 2017
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