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van Gerwen takes the opening set.”,”caption”:”Michael van Gerwen takes the opening set.”,”credit”:”Photo : James Fearn/Getty Images “}}],”attributes”:{“pinned”:false,”keyEvent”:true,”summary”:false},”blockCreatedOn”:1735847775000,”blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”14.56 EST”,”blockLastUpdated”:1735848143000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”: “15.02 EST”,”blockFirstPublished”:1735847895000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”14.58 EST”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”14.58″,”title”:”Van Gerwen takes first set 3-1″,”contributors”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Thursday 2 January 2025 15.02 EST”,”SecondaryDateLine”:”First published Thursday 2 January 2025 13.30 EST”},{“id”:”6776eda98f0804762d6822a3″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Dobey out first, to PJ & Duncan’s “Let’s Get Ready to Rhumble”. Local connection and an upbeat number, but maybe lacking singalongability – 7/10. Then it’s Van Gerwen with his Pink Floyd/White Stripes combo – never fails. 9/10, MvG wins the battle of the walk-ons.
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Welcome to the Alexandra Palace, London. In the 92 matches played across 14 days so far, we’ve seen shock exits, unexpected comebacks, nine-darters and all-time classics. Ninety-six players have stood on the Ally Pally oche; only four remain in contention. The four previous world champions – Luke Humphries, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price – have all fallen, leaving an intriguing and finely-balanced final four.
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The only previous winner still in the field, Michael van Gerwen, has shown flashes of his unstoppable best as he seeks a fourth world title. He starts as favourite against Chris Dobey, who is into his first world semi-final after defeating Price – but the No 15 seed often brings his best darts to the Palace, and should not be underestimated.
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When the draw was made, most observers expected a Luke v Luke semi-final, in a repeat of last year’s epic finale. Instead, Humphries was shocked by a resurgent Wright, who then failed to reproduce the same magic against Stephen Bunting. It’s the Bullet who faces the unenviable task of stopping Luke Littler tonight, but after a decade of disappointment at the PDC worlds, Bunting has rarely looked in better form.
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It’s a perfect semi-final line up: the champion-elect against the sharpened old stager, and the likeable, capable underdog against a wounded former king of the Palace. Destiny hints at a Littler v Van Gerwen final and a passing of the torch, but things are rarely so predictable when the lights go down and arrows start flying.
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7.40pm GMT: [15] Chris Dobie vs Michael van Gerwen [3]
\n9:30 PM (GMT): [8] Stephen Bunting v Luke Littler [4]
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main events
Dobby had a throw in the first set and Van Gerwen knew the first leg was the best time to attack. Now he can easily build a 2-0 lead just by holding the throw…
Van Gerwen takes first set 3-1
Dobie was unable to put any pressure on Van Gerwen's throws and the Dutchman checked out a 75 with three darts to finish on top and quickly take the first set.
1st set: Dobey 0-0 Van Gerwen (Leg 1-2) Dobby is keen to get on board and the first 180 will help his cause. He missed a double eight, but Van Gerwen drifted off and Dobbie snatched it at his second request.
1st set: Dobey 0-0 Van Gerwen (Leg 0-2) Van Gerwen holds 100 out on the 11-dart leg, but Dobey is on the back foot almost immediately.
Mac Scarle provides more positive updates for audiences outside the UK. “The Pluto TV app is a free streaming TV app available, at least in the US. The Fanduel TV Extra channel airs it for free!”
1st set: Dobey 0-0 Van Gerwen (legs 0-1) When Dovey throws first, Van Gerwen goes into the straight at max and then 140. I missed the bull with 12 darters and no confusion. Dobey takes a shot up top but misses – and MvG hits a double 8 to break!
A worrying development for viewers outside the UK, Chris Langford: “For viewers outside the UK, this has to be watched on the (paid) PDC website, which of course crashed completely. , I'm planning on replying.'' Look at your comments for now!
Here comes the players…
First, let's go to PJ & Duncan's “Let's Get Ready to Rhumble.” An upbeat number with a local connection, but may lack singability – 7/10. And Van Gerwen's Pink Floyd/White Stripes combo never fails. 9/10, MvG wins walk-on battle.
Backstage pre-match chat between both players:
Chris Dobie: “This is a great feeling, a huge accomplishment and a big step in my career. I'm looking forward to the challenge and feeling pretty confident going into tonight.”
Michael van Gerwen: “I have a long way to go but I feel good and that's the most important thing. I had to find something special (against Callan Riz) and I found it. I just focused on my game. I have to, but we’ll see what happens.”
Well, let's go. Ally Pally is packed to the rafters and the first walk-ons are just around the corner. Do you have any predictions? i go Dobby 2-6 Van GerwenIt's a closer contest than that scoreline suggests, though…
The first semi-final will begin in approximately 20 minutes. Jonathan Liu on whether Ally Pally is still big enough to be the sport's marquee event…
Profile: Michael van Gerwen
Nickname: Mighty Mike/MvG
World ranking: 3rd place
Birthplace: Freimen, Netherlands
Main titles: 48 titles, more to be continued
PDC World's Best: Winners of 2014, 2017 and 2019
Walk-on music: Seven Nation Army
Ten years ago, Van Gerwen was in Luke Littler's shoes. The heir apparent to Phil Taylor's throne looked like he could lift the world title every year. The fact that he has won Ally Pally honors only three times seems almost a shame. Van Gerwen has been on a ruthless winning streak here at times, losing as many finals as he has won.
That said, even Littler will have a hard time keeping up with the high-flying Dutchman. Van Gerwen is also only 35 years old, so there is still time for him to reach the world title title he deserves, as Ronnie O'Sullivan did in snooker. The way MvG thwarted Callan Riz's incredible form in the last eight bodes well for his chances.
Road to the semi-finals: In the second round he defeated James Harrell 3-0, in the third round he defeated Brendan Dolan 4-2, in the fourth round he defeated Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2, and in the QF he defeated Callan Riz 5-3.
Profile: Chris Dobie
Nickname: Hollywood
World ranking: 15th place
Birthplace: Bedlington
Main title: Masters 2023
PDC World Best: Semi-finals 2025
Walk-on Music: Get ready to rumble
As with men's tennis, Dobie is part of the 'next generation' group, who have gradually risen to prominence in the darts world, but have been overshadowed by Littler's rapid rise. The 34-year-old is set to break into the world top 10 next year and will reward himself for reaching the semi-finals for the first time after narrowly losing in the quarter-finals in 2023 and 2024.
Dobie, who earned the nickname 'Hollywood' during his amateur days for his courage to wear a baseball cap, won his first PDC title, the Masters, in 2023, but struggled in the first Premier League that year. Like his football team, Newcastle, Dobie remains determined to one day break into the elite.
Road to the semi-finals: He defeated Alexander Merckx 3-1 in the second round, Josh Locke in the third round 4-2, Kevin Duetz in the fourth round 4-3, and QF defeated Gerwyn Price 5-3.
Will I be able to watch Nine Darters tonight? Two matches have already been played in this year's tournament, but both players who were able to reach one match, Christian Quist and Damon Heta, lost their matches.
preamble
Welcome to Alexandra Palace, London. In 92 games played over 14 days, we've seen shocking ejections, surprising comebacks, nine darters and an all-time classic. 96 players stood at Ally Parry Oche. There are only four people competing. The previous four world champions – Luke Humphries, Michael Smith, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price – were all eliminated, leaving an interestingly balanced final four.
Michael van Gerwen, the only defending champion still active, is at his unstoppable best as he aims to win his fourth world title. He starts as the favorite to take on Chris Dobbie, who beats Price to make his first world semi-final, but should not be underestimated as the 15th seed often brings his best darts to the Palace.
When the draw took place, most observers were predicting a Luke vs. Luke semifinal, a repeat of last year's epic finale. If anything, Humphries was shocked by the resurgent Wright, who was unable to replicate the same magic against Stephen Bunting. It's Barrett who faces the unenviable task of stopping Luke Littler tonight, but after a decade of disappointment in the PDC world, Bunting's form has rarely looked better.
The lineup for the semifinals is perfect. The next champion versus the well-honed old stager, the likable and talented underdog versus the injured former palace king. Fate hints at a Littler vs. Van Gerwen final and the passing of the torch, but once the lights go down and the arrows start flying, things are rarely so predictable.
7:40 PM GMT: [15] Chris Dobie vs Michael van Gerwen [3]
9:30pm (GMT): [8] Stephen Bunting v Luke Littler [4]
