Michael van Gerwen slams Peter Wright’s ‘nonsense’ claim, calls Luke Littler ‘biggest disappointment’ of World Darts Championship | Darts news
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen has slammed Peter Wright’s World Darts Championship claims as “nonsense” and branded tournament favorite Luke Littler a “disappointment”.
Van Gerwen booked a quarter-final date with Callan Rydz courtesy of a 4-2 win over Jeffrey de Graaf on Monday night and the world No 3 then took aim at Wright’s claim that Rydz it had to be a favorite.
Rydz is unseeded but has produced the two highest averages of the tournament so far: 107.06 against Romeo Grbavac in his opening match, and 105.31 in a 4-0 rout of the 11th seed Dimitri Van den Bergh in the third round.
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Van Gerwen roars with passion after beating Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2 to reach quarter-finals
“I want to play like Callan Rydz,” Wright said after knocking out defending champion Luke Humphries in the fourth round. “He should be the favorite for this tournament. He is playing great darts and long may he continue.”
This came after Wright had already hit the headlines when he said he was “ready to upset Luke Littler” and “here to upset Luke Humphries”, who called out his “mind games” before losing to the two times champion of Alexandra Palace.
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Luke Humphries hit back at Wright’s comments that the reigning champion would not even make it to the fourth round at the World Darts Championships.
“Every year at the World Cup he says so much nonsense,” Van Gerwen said of Wright’s latest comments.
“He’s always allowed to talk shit. No one takes him seriously on tour also because he’s not allowed an opinion at home.”
Van Gerwen asked about his round of 16 opponent Rydz Sky Sports: “I think he has the highest average of the tournament so far, so you can’t underestimate him.
“I think he’s playing some great darts, but we’ll see. It’ll be the first five sets, it’s a totally different game.”
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Relive Wright’s winning darts and emotional post-match interview after he beat defending champion Humphries to advance to the quarter-finals.
He added: “When I play well, I don’t panic. When I stay focused, when I keep believing in my own abilities, anything is possible. I’m not here for joy, I’m here to win a tournament. , and we all know that.”
For Van Gerwen to win, he could face tournament favorite and last year’s runner-up Littler in the final.
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Highlights from Luke Littler’s fourth round match with Ryan Joyce at the World Darts Championships
The 17-year-old has twice averaged over 100 in his three matches through to the quarter-finals, including an impressive 103.13 in beating Ryan Joyce in the fourth round, despite being forced to decide the final set .
His 4-3 win means Littler has dropped five sets in the tournament so far, just one less than his entire run to last year’s final.
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John Part says Littler is not unbeatable at this year’s World Darts Championship
“I think the biggest disappointment so far is Luke Littler,” Van Gerwen added in his press conference ahead of Littler’s win over Joyce. “A lot of people expect a lot from him, that’s the reason why he’s not 100 percent.”
Asked about Van Gerwen’s comments after confirming his place in the last 16, where he will face 12th seed Nathan Aspinall, Littler said: “He can answer a few questions but I’m happy with the result, happy with the power.”
What’s next for the World Cup?
World Darts Championship action resumes on New Year’s Day, with each of Wednesday’s two sessions featuring two quarter-finals.
The afternoon session will see Chris Dobey take on 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, before three-time winner Michael van Gerwen takes on Callan Rydz.
What promises to be a spectacular night’s session will kick off with two-time champion Peter Wright taking on Stephen Bunting, before Luke Littler takes on Nathan Aspinall.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch all the matches live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more sports highlights with ARA.
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