Rob Cross produced an inspired display to set up a fascinating quarter-final showdown against Michael Smith at the Betfred World Matchplay on Wednesday.
The pair went head-to-head in the 2019 final at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, and they will renew rivalries at the Empress Ballroom on Friday, after overcoming Ryan Searle and Chris Dobey in their respective second round ties.
Cross put in an electric performance to book his place in the last eight, averaging 106.99 in an emphatic 11-6 success against Searle.
Having survived six match darts in his first round win against Gian van Veen, Cross was at his brilliant best against the Somerset star, crashing in a brace of ten-darters within the opening six legs.
The 2019 champion later opened up a two-leg cushion that he would never relinquish, before capping off a majestic display with an 11-dart hold.
“I still think there’s more in the tank,” insisted Cross, despite recording his highest average on the Winter Gardens stage.
“I am enjoying the game. It is not complicated for me at the minute, I’m playing with freedom, and if I carry on, who knows where I can end up?
“I love this tournament. I have always loved this tournament since I walked into this building eight years ago.
“I’m sure those memories of winning [the title] in 2019 will stay with me forever, but now I want to win it again.”
Smith, meanwhile, was forced to fend off a valiant fightback from Dobey in a bruising encounter, despite storming into an early 4-0 lead.
Dobey defeated Smith at the same stage of last year’s World Matchplay and World Championship, and he fired in sublime 170 and 140 finishes midway through proceedings as he aimed to repeat those heroics.
The former Masters champion then wired the bull for a stunning 135 kill which would have levelled the contest at nine apiece, although Smith withstood the pressure in a nervy finale to keep his title hopes alive.
“I wasn’t at the races there,” conceded Smith, who dumped out 2018 champion Gary Anderson in round one.
“I was 4-1 up without playing well. Chris gave me a lot of chances early on, and then I got involved in a battle I should never have got involved in.
“It was a bit nervy going into the last three or four legs, but I managed to get over the line and I’m in the quarter-finals now, which is good.”
Three-time champion Michael van Gerwen also continued his title challenge on Day Five in Blackpool, defying a late fightback from a tenacious Joe Cullen to close out an 11-8 victory.
The Dutchman accounted for Luke Littler in a heavyweight first round showdown, and he started strongly against Cullen, firing in a spectacular 151 checkout to lead 4-1.
Cullen – a semi-finalist in 2023 – won three straight legs from 9-5 adrift to threaten an unlikely turnaround, although his late onslaught came in vain, as Van Gerwen wrapped up a hard-fought win.
“I cannot wait to play my next game. I’m buzzing,” declared Van Gerwen, who will play Andrew Gilding in the last eight, in a repeat of their memorable 2023 UK Open decider.
“Andrew is probably one of the most underestimated players on the tour. When he’s on it he can be really dangerous.
“Of course I lost a big final to him at the UK Open before, but I’m not going to let him beat me in the next game.
“This is one of the biggest tournaments of the year. Everybody wants to win this, and I’m confident. I feel good.”
Gilding broke new ground in Blackpool with a resounding 11-5 success against Krzysztof Ratajski, which earned him a spot in his maiden World Matchplay quarter-final.
The former UK Open champion produced 110 and 127 combinations en route to establishing a commanding 7-2 advantage, although Ratajski attempted to turn the tide with a superb 128 checkout in leg ten.
Ratajski reduced the deficit to 7-5 at one stage, but Gilding thwarted any prospect of a fightback by winning the next four legs without reply to triumph with a 98 average.
“I’m very pleased with that,” admitted the Suffolk star, who is relishing his first televised showdown against Van Gerwen since toppling the Dutchman in last year’s UK Open.
“I’m starting to believe now. I have already got further than I have before, and that’s always my goal – go one better than before!
“Experience is invaluable, and I’m starting to feel more comfortable on these stages now.”
Thursday’s action at the Betfred World Matchplay will see the first two quarter-finals take place, as World Champion Luke Humphries faces 2020 champion Dimitri Van den Bergh, in a repeat of March’s UK Open showpiece.
The evening's opening last eight tussle will see 2007 winner James Wade take on former European Champion Ross Smith, who denied 2022 runner-up Gerwyn Price on Tuesday to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.