The 26th World Matchplay was held from 20 to 28 July. Rob Cross won his second Major-tournament in Blackpool, after an earlier World Championship title in 2018.
'Mighty Mike' is the only Dutchman who reached the second round, but then the tournament is over for the former winner of the World Matchplay. Van Gerwen surprisingly loses to debutant Glen Durrant from England. Durrant, triple winner of the BDO World Championships, makes it to the semi-final in Blackpool.
Title defender Gary Anderson is also quickly eliminated at this year's World Matchplay. The Scottish ace defeats Noppert in the first round, but then loses against Mervyn King in the second round. In the quarter final, 'The King' is defeated by Michael Smith, who reaches the final after a victory over Durrant.
In the bottom half of the schedule, Stephen Bunting is the only unseeded player who reached the quarter final. The Bullet from England is defeated by Cross, who reaches the final after a sensational match against Daryl Gurney. Cross fights back from 14-7 down and defeats 'Superchin' by 17-15.
The final between Cross and Smith at first looks like one-way traffic when Cross quickly takes a 9-0 lead. Smith still manages to make it an exciting match. 'Bully Boy' comes back to 13-10. Bully Boy gets chances to come even closer, but he doesn't take them. Therefore, Cross wins the final by 18-13.