World Matchplay

Besides the World Championship, this is the longest running tournament of the PDC. From 17 to 20 July, the 32 best players in the world will be battling for the title in the beautiful Empress Ballroom. The World’s top 16 and the top 16 from the ProTour Order of Merit qualify. 

Peter Wright is the champion of the 28th edition of the World Matchplay. The Scotsman is way too strong for Dimitri Van den Bergh, last year champion. It is the first time Wright wins the World Matchplay. Directly from the start he is the strongest player and because of that he wins with 18-9.

The tournament for Peter Wright starts with a stunning 10-2 victory against Dutchman Danny Noppert. Also, the matches against Joe Cullen and Michael Smith are no problem for the Scotsman. In the semi-final Wright plays one of the best matches in his career. His opponent is Michael van Gerwen and although the Dutchman plays a good match he can't get to the same level as Wright, so the match ends in a 17-10 victory for 'Snakebite'.

Dimitri Van den Bergh has also no problems on his way to the final. He is too strong for Devon Petersen and Dave Chisnall. In the quarterfinal he meets current world champion Gerwyn Price, but the world’s number one is no match for Van den Bergh. In the semi-final Polish ace Krzysztof Ratajski also has little chance in beating 'The Dreammaker'.

The biggest surprise of the tournament is Luke Humphries. He wins in the first round with a big victory against James Wade, who is seeded 4th at the start. Glen Durrant and Daryl Gurney are the other seeded players who lose directly in the first round. The three unseeded players who win in the first round are all eliminated in the second round.