Underdogs Lewis and Newton in for quarter-final joy

Adrian Lewis’ mettle will come in for a serious test when he takes on Michael van Gerwen in the final quarter-final of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship, but the hat-trick seeking Stoke star has what it takes to progress.

Adrian Lewis to beat Michael van Gerwen @ 11/8

Jackpot was susceptible to a Kevin Painter onslaught in the last-16 and for a sustained period the Artist had the defending world champ on the ropes. However, he kept his cool and showed his class by seeing Painter off in a 4-2 win.

The world may not have witnessed his brilliant best form so far but he keeps bringing home the bacon and that consistency will serve him well as he bids to reach another Ally Pally semi-final.

With van Gerwen suffering from foot injuries, his usual flowing style at the oche will suffer and this hands Lewis a massive advantage. Mighty Mike was limping badly following his return to action after the Christmas break and may have struggled against a better opponent than Colin Lloyd, with the Dutch star even saying himself he had not expected to prevail.

If Lewis is to relinquish his cherished world title, he will not do so without a fight and if you thought his price to win the match was generous, you’ll be over the moon with the 4/6 available for him to win with a 1.5 set-head start applied to his final score.

Wes Newton to beat James Wade 5-3 @ 11/2

Both of these players have been in outstanding form in this competition and either one would be a worthy semi-finalist.

The Machine comes into the match as 8/11 favourite, but Newton is more than capable of upsetting the applecart and set up a date with either Phil Taylor or Andy Hamilton in the semis.

The Warrior has overcome his next adversary in eight of their 14 meetings to date and, with two wins in the previous three renewals, holds a key psychological advantage ahead of this crunch clash.

A high-scoring contest is sure to be on the cards given the form both have exemplified and backing the underdog to win by two sets pays out handsomely. His last two wins over Wade came by four and three legs respectively and if he can pile the pressure on the Machine early doors, he could well forge a sizeable gap that won’t be bridged.

All odds and markets accurate as of publication’s time and date