For the second year in a row we had a duel of the Low Countries in a sweltering Eissporthalle in Frankfurt. That is, the third against the fifth seed. No clash after the open draw for the 1/8th finals was bigger, only Germany (7) against Northern Ireland (6) came close. Unlike last year – when the Belgians won 8-7 – Michael van Gerwen was there as Danny Noppert’s partner, instead of Dirk van Duijvenbode.
The first dash was for the Netherlands, after winning the bullen. Van Gerwen missed a first chance for a finish, then Noppert and Huybrechts threw 89 off the board for 1-0. Immediately a break. The first leg of the Belgians was high-quality, with many triples. Huybrechts missed once, Van den Bergh three times on double 7 but the Dutch did not profit: 2-0. The Belgians were ‘hyped’ and constantly cheered each other on, it was beautiful to see. It looked like it would be 3-0 for a moment, but Van Gerwen made it 2-1 on double 16.
However, it was mainly Noppert who kept giving the Netherlands chances. But Huybrechts put the 3-1 on the board with a 129 finish on the bull. Class. And The Hurricane wasn’t done yet. After another 180 from Van den Bergh, Noppert missed double 5 for a 130 finish, after which Huybrechts finished 121 on the bull. Wow!
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And the Belgians were not finished yet. The Netherlands seemed to be breaking, but Van den Bergh hit 86 on the board for 5-1. The averages at that moment: 105 for the Dutch, 103 for Belgium. Eventually, the break was entered with a 5-2 score.
The start of the eighth leg was a bit hesitant from the Belgians, but Van Gerwen missed double 20 for a 107 finish. Huybrechts then made it 6-2. The Netherlands then struggled on its own leg, after which Van den Bergh made it 7-2 with a 64 finish. Van Gerwen had a chance for a break but missed three double chances, after which Huybrechts finished it off: 8-2! The Belgians threw an average of 97 and hit 8 out of 15 double chances.
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In the quarter-finals, which will be played on Sunday afternoon, the Belgians will face surprising Italy. Massimo Dalla Rosa and Michele Turetta were too strong for Australia, the 2022 world champion, after a thriller 8-7. Van den Bergh and Huybrechts cannot beat Wales in a potential semi-final. The defending champion – with Jim Williams instead of the injured Gerwyn Price – was eliminated by Croatia. Boris Krcmar and Romeo Grbavac will face Austria in the last eight.
“It was the perfect combination,” Huybrechts said afterwards. “His scoring… Honestly: during the match I was thinking, if he scores like that, who is Michael van Gerwen? He played him away so hard. All I had to do was finish what was in front of me. I think I did a pretty good job with that (laughs). It was perfect. He scored phenomenally, I was okay.” Van den Bergh: “He didn’t score great, but his finishing was crazy.”
© PDC Europe / Jonas Hunold
Other results:
Czech Republic – Sweden 6-8
Austria – Chinese Taipei 8-4
Scotland – Poland 8-2
Italy – Australia 8-7
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Northern Ireland – Germany 8-7
England – France 8-3
Wales – Croatia 7-8
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Quarter finals:
England – Northern Ireland
Scotland – Sweden
Croatia – Austria
Belgium – Italy
2024-06-29 20:26:18
#Michael #van #Gerwen #Dimitri #Van #den #Bergh #Kim #Huybrechts #crush #Netherlands #reach #quarterfinals #World #Cup #Darts
