The five-time PDC world champion started his defence of the 2024 title with a comfortable win over Polish star Radek Szaganski.
It’s one of the world’s most prestigious darts tournaments, and it’s no surprise that two of the biggest names in the game have qualified for PDC WDC 2024. Here’s a look at who’s playing at PDC WCF 2024 in London. Here’s a breakdown of who’s on the PDC WCF radar for WCF 2024:Raymond van Blyveld Chris Dobey
As one of the world’s most decorated darts players, Van Barneveld has won five PDC world titles and is one of the most decorated players in darts history. Dobey, on the other hand, is one of the fastest-improving players in the darts world and qualified for the tournament on the back of an impressive PDC Tour run.
As one of the world’s most decorated darts players, Van Barneveld has won five PDC world titles and is one of the most decorated players in darts history. Dobey, on the other hand, is one of the fastest-improving players in the darts world and qualified for the tournament on the back of an impressive PDC Tour run.
In 2024, the world’s most prestigious darts tournament will take place in London, with the top players from around the world vying for the prestigious ‘Sid Waddell’ trophy. It’s sure to be an event for the ages, with world No. 1 Van Blyde and world No. 2 Dobey set to take centre stage alongside world number one Mike van Gerwen and world No. 4 Rob Cross, along with world No. 5 Phil Taylor and world No. 6 Gary Anderson.
The PDC World Championship in London is sure to be a treat for darts fans all over the world, and the excitement will only increase as the world’s best players, including van Barneveld, Dobey, and many more, battle it out for the top prize in the world of darts. Don’t miss out on the action at this year’s PDC World Championship!
The 56-year-old Van Barneveld triumphed 3-1 to book a third-round clash with Welshman Jim Williams, who stunned two-time champ Peter Wright on Wednesday. I was really happy with my last leg. I had a really good finish and I’m really proud of it.” said Van Barneaveld.
Chris Dobey (England) and Brendan Dolan (Northern Ireland) also made progress. Seeded 17th, Masters champion Dobey secured a 3-2 victory over Republic of Ireland’s William O’Connor in a match of the highest quality.
Supported by 10 birdies, Dobey carded an average of 103, his best score of the tournament, to qualify for a last-32 clash with fellow Briton Ross Smith.
The tournament, which takes place annually at London’s Alexandra Palace, will pause for Christmas after Saturday’s second round. The third round takes place on December 27th and the winner will be announced on January 3rd.
The 96-strong field, including defending champ Michael Smith, began their tournament in London with a first-round $500,000 prize.
The former world number one, who won four titles in a row from 1998 to 1999, three in 2003 and one in 2005, moved into the PDC in 2007 and beat Phil Taylor to secure a return to the top of the rankings. But he had to wait until the last round to beat Szaganski.
After jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the second set, Van Netel closed out the match with a 99.81 winning percentage to move into the final 32 for the first time in 5 years. Seeded runners-up Wright and James Wade were knocked out in the first round by van Barneveld’s opponents, although the Dutchman could face 16th-seed Luke Littler.
I’m still not at my best, but I can be a lot better than this,” said the 31-year-old, who took a brief break from the sport in 2019 before getting back into the fold. “I played really well in the second period to come back from two goals down and give me a really tough game.”
Of course I see [the draw], but it puts more pressure on you. Peter Wright is gone, James Wade is gone, but there’s a guy named Luke Littler, and he’s fantastic. Ahead of this match, Dolan had triumphed in a sudden-death semi-final against his former club Northern Ireland and World Cup teammate Mickey Mansell.
They combined for nine 180s in a match that went into the first tie-breaker of the day, where Dolan held his nerves with a double-16 to book a third-round clash with 2021 champ Gerwyn Price.
Florian Hempel (Germany) fought back from 2-0 down in the second set and saved a match point with a match point checkout of 151 after falling behind 2-0 to Dimitri Van den Bergh (Belgium) 3-2.
