Peter Wright and Simon Whitlock collide in the World Matchplay quarter-finals
Wright: "I've got to play like I did against Kim to beat him otherwise I'll be going off stage losing."
Friday 27 July 2018 21:16, UK
Last year's finalist Peter Wright takes on seventh seed Simon Whitlock on Friday night at the Winter Gardens, as the semi-final line-up nears its completion.
Gary Anderson and Jeffrey de Zwaan saw off the challenges of Joe Cullen and Dave Chisnall respectively to book their semi-final spots in a pulsating session of darts on Thursday evening, but the drama continues in Blackpool with two more quarter-finals on Friday night.
Peter Wright is the highest-ranked player left in the field, and the 2017 runner-up will continue his bid to reach a second consecutive World Matchplay final when he takes on two-time Winter Gardens semi-finalist Simon Whitlock.
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'Snakebite' produced the performance of the tournament so far in his second-round victory over Kim Huybrechts - averaging 105.60 to ease past 'The Hurricane' 11-5.
Wright fired in 20 140s and converted three ton-plus checkouts en route to victory, and is the only player remaining in the tournament to have appeared in a World Matchplay final, but he is expecting a tough test against 'The Wizard'.
"In my next game it will be tough because Simon is a good friend but when we get up on stage I will have to treat him as the enemy," said the second seed. "He is fantastic though and he's playing really good darts at the moment.
"I've got to play like I did against Kim to beat him otherwise I'll be going off stage losing. It's will be a tough game but I believe I have the game to beat him."
However, the Scot admitted he was delighted to see Whitlock returning to form.
"I want to see Simon playing well and people want to see that as well," Wright said. "I'm not being horrible and arrogant, I want to play darts with him.
"Averages don't matter to me so long as you get the W. We don't know until we get on the stage and how I wake up on Friday morning. I could wake up feeling absolutely terrible and it doesn't happen for me."
Whitlock sealed a spot in his fifth Matchplay quarter-final after dumping out 2007 champion James Wade 11-7 in Wednesday's curtain-raiser.
The pair missed 50 darts at double between them, but the Australian dominated the scoring stakes and completed the job to advance to the quarter-finals in Blackpool for the first time since 2014.
"I started well and then it became a scrap, I felt like I should've been further ahead at some points but I got the win and that's all that matters," Whitlock said.
"I feel really relaxed on the Winter Gardens stage this year, I'm enjoying playing up there. The last time I got to the semis here was in 2014 and I actually feel like I'm playing better now than I was then," he added.
In Friday's opening quarter-final, sixth seed Mensur Suljovic meets Darren Webster for a place in the last four.
Suljovic fended off a valiant fightback from Ian White to prevail 11-8 and reach his third World Matchplay quarter-final in four years, but he admits there is room for improvement.
"My performance was not that good, but I am so happy that I won," Suljovic added. "It was a very hard game, Ian is a good player. There are lots of good players in this tournament who are favourites ahead of me but I will keep trying my best to win."
However, 'The Gentle' claimed that a lack of sleep could derail his title bid.
"Last year my hotel was too hot and my hotel this year is also not good," revealed the Champions League of Darts winner.
"I'm here at the Winter Gardens to work, but my work is nothing because I'm struggling to sleep. It's a big problem so I need to have a good sleep. If I can sleep well, then I can play."
Meanwhile, Webster secured a spot in his second straight Matchplay quarter-final after dumping out world champion Rob Cross in a dramatic clash.
'The Demolition Man' held his nerve to secure one of the biggest victories of his career and believes he has now got the 'chance of a lifetime' to secure a maiden televised title.
"I didn't used to like playing against Mensur but I enjoy it now so I'm looking forward to getting stuck into that game," he said.
"I've got the chance of a lifetime to push into the top 10 and now I want to keep winning and keep pushing my way up.
"When I'm up there I'm there for one reason and one reason only and that's to do my job. I will be ready for Mensur and he'll know it."
Join us for further coverage of the World Matchplay on Friday, July 27 at 7pm on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event from 9.30pm. The darts will run through to the final on Sunday, July 29.
Stick with us for news, views and interviews and expert analysis. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts - don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts.
