Upsets

My last evening in the PDC press tent in Alexandra Palace didn't follow the expected rout and in the end reigning champion Phil Taylor was out of the tournament.

The evening - the first one with second round matches - started quite "normal". Peter Wright defeated Per Laursen. Raymond van Barneveld won against Jamie Caven though it was rather hard work. Maybe Jamie Caven got into trouble because during his walk-on he didn't only kiss his own wife Debbie but a slightly surprised looking Mrs. Van Barneveld as well.

I already had prepared myself for a Taylor win and for me lay three tournament programs I intended to hand to the competition winners with signatures of Raymond van Barneveld and Phil Taylor. Barney had already signed and I had asked Wayne Mardle and John Part as well who were sitting around idly.

I had been outside beside the stage to take some walk-on pictures of Michael Smith and Phil Taylor and now followed with growing disbelief the developing match on the big screen as did everybody else in the press tent including Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld who was still around after a lot of interview. That really couldn't be true. To be sure Taylor had not been on his best in his first round match but that he would be send into a tailspin by Michael Smith no one had expected. Delighted was of course Gary Anderson and when I asked him what he had done to enhance Michael's performance he answered: "I keep kicking him all the time."

Phil Taylor by the way disappeared after his defeat unsung and till then no-one did see him or heard from him. And of course there was no chance to get his autograph and I added those of Gary Anderson and Michael Smith instead.

It was not the first time a favourite is eliminated early from a World Championship. It happens regularly during the BDO World Championship which will start on 4. January and will be televised by the BBC. And the lake in Lakeside which gave the venue its name is said to be full of darts from disappointed players. Solely Gary Anderson has sunk for or five sets in it. And to be sure Phil Taylor didn't win all till now 20 PDC World Championships. Three times he lost in the finally, a few times he was eliminated in the quarterfinal and once he lost to Dave Chisnall already first round. But after his entire tournament wins this year one definitely expected he would make an impact.
This World Championship seems to be unpredictable - Terry Jenkins threw a nine-darter first round and lost his match. The other nine-darter so far was not thrown by a PDC Top player but by Australian Kyle Anderson who lost as well. Beside Phil Taylor Kim Huybrechts, Andy Hamilton and Justin Pipe lost second round - not really expected either. Instead one of the international qualifiers reached third round - South African Devan Petersen. And the most impressive performances of the tournament so far were not shown by the well-known Top players - it were players like Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Ian White who left their mark. There were more surprises: Mark Webster seems to be back as is Gary Anderson - who would have predicted that?
Who will win in the end is still wide open. Peter Wright certainly has a chance to reach the final against Simon Whitlock. And the other semi-final is even more difficult to predict: Lewis or van Gerwen??? Both played in parts great darts during their matches, but some not really "world champion" darts as well.

Very predictable though turned out to be the English weather while I stayed in London - even when it had been sunny during the day inevitable it rained when I left the Alexandra Palace late after the matches. The last evening was not different.










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