Peter Wright and Michael Smith will meet in the final of the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London.
In the first semi-final of the evening, England’s Smith beat compatriot James Wade 6-3 to reach the world championship final for a second time.
Scotland’s Wright won 6-4 over compatriot Gary Anderson brilliantly to reach the final for the third time.
The final took place at Alexandra Palace, London on Monday.
A spectacular sale
Wright set a new record with 24 180 throws in any world championship match, the former champion beating Gary Anderson’s 22-throw record in 2017.
In tonight’s second semi-final, world number two Wright, 51, won the first three sets of the match, despite a superb 116 save from Anderson to save it. Wright’s throw in the opening match of the second set.
The match was closer than suggested, with both players playing high-quality darts, averaging just over 100 per game.
Two-time champion Anderson came up with a 3-0 lead to parry Wright’s throw in the first leg of the fourth set and organized his throw with a double, 92nd double finish to win. in the set and closed the gap with Wright to 3-1. .
Sixth seed Anderson won the fifth set 3-1, pulled out an excellent 105 check, found the bullseye on his first dart and hit the doubles to win the set. .
Current World Matchplay champion Wright just missed a 12-to-9 double in the second leg of the sixth set, eventually winning the first leg with 12 darts, and he broke the throw. of Anderson to win the set and lead 4-2.
Anderson opened the seventh set with 11 darts and broke Wright’s throw to win the set and beat Wright by a set 4-3.
Both players broke each other’s serve in the eighth set and Wright broke 11 more throws to win the set and draw 5-3.
In the ninth set, last year’s runner-up Anderson ruined Wright’s throw to win, but it was the 2020 world champion who kept his composure and threw 116th set to win the match and won a place in the final.
Wright said: “Obviously we had to try to keep up with Michael Smith’s game against Gerwyn Price yesterday. I want to be better than that and hope that’s great for the crowd and all. viewers.”
“I had Gary back at me like a train and I had to try to break the tracks and stop him and luckily I did,” he added.
“Hopefully I’ll be the doubles world champion and stop Michael, it’s going to be a great match with more seconds, I think.”
Smith capitalizes on mistakes
In the first semi-final of the evening, 31-year-old Smith won the opening two sets with a massive 105 match average but Wade made the third set in the fifth innings with a hit throw 12 darts, coolly finish. 121 tests.
Fourth seed Wade, 38, had momentum in the fourth set, breaking Smith’s throw in the second leg and just missed the 170 inning bull in the first leg to win the set and Smith reversed.
2019 World Championships runner-up Smith kept his throw to level the set and bounced back to hit a double 10 under pressure with Wade waiting on 20 to make the set and lead 3-1.
Wade wrecked former world champion Smith’s throw with another 121 checks in the first leg of the fifth set but Smith reversed it and Hampshire’s Wade himself missed a few darts to keep the shot. his team with Smith capitalized on to win the set and extend the lead to 4-1.
Smith, from St Helen’s, hit a superb 130 bullseye set to win the opening match of the sixth set and went on to win the set, but Wade fought back to win the match. seventh set with a score of 3-1 to make it 5-2.
It was class on two feet each in the eighth set and current UK Open champion Wade returned to the game as he kept his pitch to win the set and shorten the lead. Smith’s front down 5-3.
In the ninth and final set, the controlling Smith broke Wade’s throw on the fourth inning to win the set and match.
Smith has yet to win the darts major title and tomorrow’s final will be his sixth major final.
Smith said: “It feels great. The first set was pretty tough but the next five games feel great and I’m trying to convince myself that there’s one more set to make the final a lot more difficult. a lot of”.
“I’m as proud of myself as the way I hold my head and hit my darts. I hit the right score at the right time and my doubles hit again.”
Smith’s World Champion 2019 lost 7-3 on aggregate to Michael van Gerwen was on his mind going into the final.
“Peter [Wright] and Gary [Anderson] they both lost the first final and came back in the second attempt to both win the final and now I think that’s a harbinger. Now I have a chance to correct what I did wrong in 2019,” he added.
