World Grand Prix darts: Wade backed to make final
Published:We’re down to the final four in the World Grand Prix darts, and it is fair to say there has been no shortage of shocks in the tournament so far.
The latest upset saw James Wade knock out reigning champion Phil Taylor in the quarter-finals to set up a semi-final meeting with Gary Anderson.
Meanwhile Michael van Gerwen nearly joined the Power in exiting at the last-eight stage, losing two of the first three sets to Mervyn King before fighting back to win 3-2.
With a place in the final at stake, here are our best bets for the two semi-finals.
The Machine had not beaten Taylor in a televised game since 2008 before winning their quarter-final, and ending that hoodoo is a demonstration of the excellent form Wade is in.
Wade hit a nine-darter against Robert Thornton in the last-16, and notched consecutive 104 and 101 finishes to seal victory against Taylor in the quarters.
He has also won this tournament twice, another factor that makes it impossible to consider backing Anderson despite his 8/11 favouritism.
The Flying Scotsman has a healthy 17-9 edge in their overall head-to-head record, but the pair have been far more even in recent years, splitting their last eight encounters 4-4.
Mike looked far from Mighty as he squeaked past King in the quarters, but showed typical resilience to break at the last possible opportunity and claim a 3-2 win.
We expect it to be similarly tight against Bunting in the semis, with the pair each winning one of their two encounters in 2014.
Just one set separated them in the Bullet’s 6-5 win in May, and whoever triumphs in this match-up that is likely to be the margin once again, so cover both the Bunting win and a tight MVG victory via this handicap bet.
All odds and markets correct as of the date of publishing.
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