HUYBRECHTS KNOCKS OUT BARNEY IN EUROPEAN DARTS OPEN THRILLER
KIM HUYBRECHTS continued his challenge to win a maiden European Tour title with a thrilling 6-5 victory over Raymond van Barneveld in the European Darts Open on Sunday afternoon, as Michael van Gerwen and Simon Whitlock also picked up third round wins in Dusseldorf.
Belgian ace Huybrechts had only dropped two legs in his wins over Steve Maish and Stuart Kellett earlier in the event, and was averaging 110 as he moved 3-1 up against van Barneveld.
He retained that advantage as he took a 5-3 cushion before van Barneveld punished two missed match darts to hit back and force a deciding leg - only to miss one dart for the win himself as Huybrechts returned to land double ten and reach the quarter-finals.
"It was a very close game and I did get a bit nervous at the end when I had a couple of match darts," admitted Huybrechts. "Raymond missed his chance and I took mine, so I'm very happy to be through."
Huybrechts will now face Jamie Caven in Sunday evening's quarter-finals as the £100,000 tournament reaches its conclusion at the Maritim Hotel in Dusseldorf.
Caven was another narrow 6-5 winner as he edged past Mervyn King, who led 3-0 at one stage and also missed two match darts in the deciding leg before the Derby thrower landed double eight.
Number one seed Michael van Gerwen, the new McCoy's Premier League Darts champion, was in fine form as he defeated Terry Jenkins 6-3, hitting a 160 finish and sealing the victory with an 11-dart leg.
Van Gerwen's quarter-final opponent, Gary Anderson, also continued his superb form by averaging 105.25 in a 6-1 win over Brendan Dolan as he moved into the last eight.
Two former European Tour winners, number two seed Simon Whitlock and world number ten Justin Pipe, will also meet in the last eight following their third round wins on Sunday afternoon.
Whitlock defeated James Wade 6-3 in their clash, although the game's first six legs were shared before the Australian ace pulled clear to record the win.
Pipe, meanwhile, edged out two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis in an 11-leg thriller, which saw the Taunton ace hit finishes of 122, 140 and 100 and the world number three reply with a 156 finish as they game progressed to a decider.
The pair both left finishes after nine darts in the final leg, with Lewis posting a 180 to leave 81 only to see Pipe finish 130 on double five for the win.
Peter Wright and Andy Hamilton completed the quarter-final line-up with victories over Robert Thornton and Colin Osborne respectively.
Wright took a 2-0 lead before Thornton took the next three to move ahead, but the colourful Lowestoft thrower dominated the second half of the match to progress, while Hamilton won five successive legs in his 6-1 defeat of Derby's Osborne.
The quarter-finals on Sunday night will be followed by the semi-finals and final, with a £20,000 first prize on offer for the champion. All matches are being screened exclusively live at www.livepdc.tv.
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European Darts Open - European Tour Event Three
Sunday May 19
Afternoon Session
Third Round
Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Terry Jenkins
Gary Anderson 6-1 Brendan Dolan
Robert Thornton 4-6 Peter Wright
Colin Osborne 1-6 Andy Hamilton
Simon Whitlock 6-3 James Wade
Justin Pipe 6-5 Adrian Lewis
Raymond van Barneveld 5-6 Kim Huybrechts
Jamie Caven 6-5 Mervyn King
Evening Session (7pm)
Quarter-Finals
Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
Peter Wright v Andy Hamilton
Simon Whitlock v Justin Pipe
Kim Huybrechts v Jamie Caven
Semi-Finals
van Gerwen/Anderson v Wright/Hamilton
Whitlock/Pipe v Huybrechts/Caven
Final
All games played in draw bracket order on Sunday May 19.
All games throughout the event are the best of 11 legs.
Match Information
Michael van Gerwen stormed into the quarter-finals of the European Darts Open with a brilliant 6-3 win over Terry Jenkins in the opening third round game. Jenkins edged the opening leg on double nine to break throw, but van Gerwen levelled with a superb 12-darter, featuring scores of 140, 140 and 180, before finishing tops in the next two and 68 to move 4-1 up in the blink of an eye. Jenkins hit back with a maximum and tops, but van Gerwen took a 5-2 lead with a thrilling 160 checkout. Jenkins added another maximum of his own before hitting tops to stay in the contest, but van Gerwen sealed victory in the next leg, hitting his fourth 180 of the game and double top for an 11-darter.
Gary Anderson produced a superb performance to sweep aside Brendan Dolan with a 6-1 victory and a 105.25 average as he set up a tasty quarter-final with Michael van Gerwen. The Scot punished three missed doubles at tops from Dolan to win the opening leg on double eight before the Northern Irish ace replied with a 13-darter - but he could do little to halt Anderson's charge. The former Premier League champion took out 80 to win the third leg, a 13-darter to break and landed a 180 before finishing 64 to lead 4-1. He then landed a 174 to set up double 18 in a 13-darter to move to the brink of victory, and added another 13-dart leg with a maximum and tops to secure progression.
Peter Wright won a see-saw battle with Robert Thornton 6-4 to reach his first European Tour quarter-final of the year. The Lowestoft thrower took the first two legs, opening with a 98 finish and adding double eight to move 2-0 up before Thornton hit tops to get off the mark and followed a 180 with a superb 146 checkout for a 12-darter as he levelled. Thornton then finished a 14-darter - hitting a 180 and an 86 finish - to move 3-2 up before Wright hit tops to level. The pair then traded 14-darters before Wright took a key ninth leg, punishing three misses at double 16, eight and four from Thornton to move 5-4 up before landing a 180 and tops to seal the win.
Andy Hamilton won five successive legs as he powered into the European Darts Open quarter-finals with a 6-1 defeat of Colin Osborne. Hamilton finished 138 to win the game's opening leg and, despite a 180 from Osborne, had a chance to take the second, but a miss at double 11 for a 124 finish allowed the Derby ace in on tops to level. Osborne then opened leg three with a 180, but Hamilton finished double 14 for a 13-darter to break throw, double four to move 3-1 up and 42 to break throw again. The Stoke star then hit a 180 and double ten to lead 5-1, and when Osborne missed double 16 to finish 110, Hamilton posted double ten to seal a quarter-final clash with Peter Wright.
Simon Whitlock continued his bid to win a second European Tour title with a 6-3 win over James Wade in a tight third round game, with the Australian only pulling clear in the final three legs. Whitlock avoided a break in the opening leg by punishing two misses from Wade by landing double four, before the left-hander pinned tops in the second leg. Whitlock hit a 180 to leave 46 in the third leg as double 16 gave him a 2-1 cushion before Wade levelled again, hitting a 180 and tops for a 13-darter. Whitlock took out 88 for a 12-darter in the fifth leg, before Wade again hit back as a 162 score left 40 before he landed double ten. Whitlock, though, took the seventh leg and then secured the game's first break in the eighth, as Wade landed a 180 but missed three doubles to allow the Australian in on double six, before a two-dart 82 finish sealed his victory.
Justin Pipe edged out Adrian Lewis in an 11-leg thriller, hitting a 12-dart finish in the decider to win through to a quarter-final with Simon Whitlock. The game enjoyed a high-quality start as Pipe took out 122 and 140 - for a 12-darter which featured a 180 - to lead 2-0 before Lewis landed a 156 checkout to get off the mark in leg three. Lewis then levelled on double 16 and hit scores of 180 and 174 as he broke throw in the fifth leg with a 13-darter - although Pipe had missed double 11 for a 142 finish! Pipe hit a 180 and a 100 checkout to level the game with a 12-darter, before moving 4-3 up on double 16. Lewis, through, punished four misses from the world number ten to level in a scrappy eighth leg, only to suffer the same fate in the next with six missed doubles as Pipe sneaked double 16 to move 5-4 up. Lewis hit a 180 and double 18 to force a decider, in which both players opened with scores of 140 and 100 before Pipe landed a 131 to leave 130 - and though the two-time World Champion posted a 180 to leave 81, he could only watch on as Pipe took out 130 on double five for the win.
Kim Huybrechts maintained his unbeaten record against Raymond van Barneveld as he booked a European Darts Open last 16 spot - but only just following a thrilling contest which both players had chances to win before the Belgian prevailed in a decider. Although van Barneveld finished 96 for a 14-darter to open the game, Huybrechts continued his irresistable form in the event as he took the next three legs to move his average to 110 in-running - with the Dutchman hitting two 180s in the game's third leg only to see Huybrechts deny him a dart at a double by following a maximum of his own with double 16, before taking out 86 and 12 to move 3-1 up. Huybrechts then landed two maximums of his own in the fifth, but was unable to finish 41 as van Barneveld took out a key 80 to hit back. The next two legs were shared before Huybrechts landed a 180 in a 14-darter to move 5-3 up, but van Barneveld hit back on double 18 and then sent the match into a decider with a 70 finish after Huybrechts missed two match darts. The Belgian was first to a double in a dramatic final leg, but missed tops for a 112 finish only to see van Barneveld miss with a dart at double 16 to allow him back in on double ten.
Jamie Caven completed the European Darts Open quarter-final line-up with a narrow 6-5 win over Mervyn King, who missed two match darts in a dramatic deciding leg. King made the better start, hitting dobule eight, double four and a two-dart 90 finish to take a 3-0 lead before Caven hit back, taking out 56 to get off the mark and landing two 180s in an 11-darter to pull back to 3-2. Tops saw Caven level before he won the next two to extend his run to five straight legs before King took out 96 and double eight to force a decider. Caven was first to a double in the 11th leg, but initially missed two darts at double 16, only for King to also miss double 16 and double eight to take the win as he allowed the Derby ace in on double eight to edge through.