Matt Campbell admits he 'cannot afford to relax' ahead of his second round clash against four-time World Championship semi-finalist James Wade on Tuesday afternoon.
Campbell booked his place in round two with victory over Lourence Ilagan on Sunday, defying a superb fightback from the Filipino to seal his first win in five attempts on the Alexandra Palace stage.
Campbell missed five match darts for a straight sets victory, before Ilagan converted stunning 100, 104 and 153 checkouts to send the match all the way.
“I started to [overthink it] and then I thought whatever, he broke you, it’s his throw now so he should win this set, so just ease into it and re-focus for my next one,” Campbell reflected post-match.
“I feel like I lost 100 pounds even though I could lose 100 more!”
Despite the anguish of missed match darts, the Canadian was able to recompose and average nearly 120 in the final set to fend off Ilagan’s comeback.
“I had the throw,” continued Campbell, who reeled off legs of 14, 12 and 12 darts in the deciding set, which included a match-winning 128 outshot.
“If I didn’t have the throw maybe thoughts would be different, but if I have the throw and win that leg, I can just ride with it at that point.
“I was fortunate enough to beat him in that [final] set and I focused on my throw from the first leg, so it worked out well.”
“He came back and played well, but I still stayed strong and it was a good match.
“I’ve watched Lourence play before, animated is not a bad word for him. I knew what I was getting into, so I could let him do what he wants and just focus on my game.”
Campbell’s landmark victory ensured that he will retain his PDC Tour Card in 2024, although the Canadian has already set his sights on an intriguing clash against Wade.
“I’m glad [my PDC Tour Card] is 100% safe,” continued the former World Cup of Darts quarter-finalist.
“I put more pressure on myself than anybody else can, and now I’m playing James Wade, so you can’t relax at any time.
“There’s always pressure. You want to win, you want to do well so you’re always going to have that little bit of pressure, but hopefully I’m able to control it.”
Ten-time TV title winner Wade will embark on his 20th World Darts Championship campaign in terrific form, having reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the last three Premier televised events.
This has seen the left-hander regain his place in the world’s top 16, and now he’s eyeing an elusive World Championship success on the sport’s biggest stage.
2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Tuesday December 19
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Ian White v Tomoya Goto (R1)
Ritchie Edhouse v Jeffrey de Graaf (R1)
Keegan Brown v Boris Krcmar (R1)
James Wade v Matt Campbell (R2)