World Grand Prix Darts: Favorites Fest or a Bookies Skinner?
Darts World Grand Prix got underway on Monday with eight first-round matches played at the Morningside Arena in Leicester. The competition has traditionally been played at Dublin’s Citywest Hotel and Resort. But with that venue now acting as a refugee center, Ireland has temporarily lost its only major darting competition.
Peter Wright recorded the highest match-winning average when progressing from round one of the BoyleSports World Grand Prix on Monday. ©Kieran Cleeves/PDC
The 25th staging of the prestigious tournament – still sponsored by an Irish company, betting firm BoyleSports – will feature seven sessions throughout the week. It will conclude on Sunday, October 9th, when the winner will take the coveted title and a record £600,000 prize.
Favorites Are Safe for Now
Reigning champion Jonny Clayton got the defense of his title off to a good start by beating Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-0. World Champion Peter Wright and five-time World Grand Prix winner Michael van Gerwen also sailed through to the second round with 2-0 victories.
Michael van Gerwen, pictured in winning action on Monday evening, is seeking his sixth World Grand Prix title. ©Kieran Cleeves/PDC
The biggest upset on opening night was the sixth seed, Jose De Sousa, losing to 2010 Grand Prix runner-up Adrian ‘Jackpot’ Lewis. However, there is no such thing as a shock result in the BoyleSports World Grand Prix as its ‘double start’ format always acts as a proverbial banana skin.
Second-round action should prove a little less troublesome for the chief protagonists as matches are played in a ‘best of five sets’ format. For Wednesday evening’s games, the best darts betting sites can barely separate Adrian Lewis and Chris Dobey. They make the former the 4/5 favorite.
Likewise, Jonny Clayton at 4/5, is the narrow favorite over Dimitri van den Burgh. But a Peter Wright victory over Krzysztof Ratajski is more clear-cut. Wright, a beaten finalist in 2018, is 2/5 to prevail. An even stronger favorite is Michael van Gerwen. The Dutchman is 3/10 to eliminate Stephen Bunting.
The Best of the Best
Success on Wednesday will send players into the quarter-finals. These are also the ‘best of five sets’ matches. Saturday’s semi-finals are ‘best of seven sets’ games and Sunday’s decider is the ‘best of nine sets’.
The last four BoyleSports World Grand Prix finals have been one-sided affairs. Michael van Gerwen beat Peter Wright (in 2018) by a 5-2 score-line. He defeated Dave Chisnall by the same margin a year later. Gerwyn Price won the 2020 final over Dirk van Duijvenbode by five sets to two. Last year the number one seed lost 5-1 to Jonny Clayton.
There has only been one truly shocking result during the previous 24 World Grand Prix finals. That came in 2015 when Robert Thornton beat Michael van Gerwen 5-4 despite registering considerably lower three-dart averages in the game.
Order of Play
Wednesday October 5 (7.00 pm)
Four Second-Round Matches
Thursday October 6 (7.00 pm)
Four Second-Round Matches
Friday October 7 (7.00 pm)
Quarter-Finals
Saturday October 8 (8.00 pm)
Semi-Finals
Sunday October 9 (8.30 pm)
Final
How and Where to Watch World Grand Prix Action
The tournament is broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland. It can also be watched via the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners, including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV. The best live streaming betting sites will also broadcast the action live alongside their live in-play betting odds.
