World Matchplay Darts: Peter Wright and Dimitri Van den Bergh both win but Jonny Clayton is dumped out
Peter Wright begins the defence of his World Matchplay title with victory over Madars Razma, as debutant Rowby-John Rodriguez dumps out eighth seed Jonny Clayton on a thrilling opening night at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool; watch every dart live on Sky Sports
Sunday 17 July 2022 00:23, UK
Defending champion Peter Wright and Dimitri Van den Bergh eased through on opening night at the World Matchplay in Blackpool but Jonny Clayton became the first big casualty to fall.
Wright began his defence of the Phil Taylor Trophy with a comfortable victory against Latvian debutant Madars Razma before declaring he was going to retain his title.
Meanwhile, 2020 champion Van den Bergh enjoyed a resounding win against Callan Rydz, while 'The Polish Eagle' Krzysztof Ratajski defeated Stephen Bunting.
But five-time televised title winner Clayton saw his Blackpool dreams washed away at sea for another year as enigmatic Austrian debutant Rowby-John Rodriguez defeated 'The Ferret' with an impressive performance on the Winter Gardens stage.
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Rodriguez delivered the performance of the night, averaging 99 to complete a 10-7 success against Clayton, who became the first seed to exit the tournament in the first round for the fourth time in five appearances
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Rodriguez, the world No 73, built momentum after a bright start, opening up a 5-3 lead.
Clayton stopped the rot with a superb 130 finish in leg nine, but that was usurped by a stunning 156 finish from Rodriguez moments later, who then held throw in leg 11 to establish a three-leg buffer.
The Welshman continued to battle away valiantly, and although Rodriguez spurned two match darts, the former World Cup runner-up hit back with a tidy 13-dart hold to seal the deal.
"I am confident. I'm in really good form at the moment, and in my mind I can beat anybody," claimed Rodriguez, who will take on Van den Bergh in a mouth-watering last-16 tie.
"Dimitri is one of my best friends. We will have a great game, and the better player will win on the day."
Wright, who is aiming to become just the fourth player in World Matchplay history to retain the coveted Phil Taylor Trophy, eased through to round two with a routine 10-4 win over debutant Razma.
The world No 1 punished a sluggish start from the Latvian to race into a 5-0 lead, landing a brace of 13-darters and converting a clinical ton during the opening session.
Wright, who averaged 97.42 and fired in seven 180s, stretched his lead to 8-2 before Razma hit back with consecutive 14-darters, but a sublime 157 checkout in the penultimate leg catapulted him to a place in the last 16.
"The crowd were fantastic, and it's great to be back at the Winter Gardens," said Wright, who now plays Krzysztof Ratajski for a place in the quarter-finals.
"There are loads more 180s to come, maybe nine-darters as well. I believe I will win it again.
"Krzysztof is a fantastic player, but it doesn't matter what player turns up, they've got to be consistent from the first leg until the last, and there's not many players in this tournament that can do that."
Van den Bergh sent out a statement to his title rivals at the Winter Gardens, powering past Rydz to kick off his bid for a second World Matchplay crown.
The 2020 champion - a runner-up 12 months ago - landed a World Series of Darts double in Copenhagen and Amsterdam last month, and he maintained that sparkling form with an emphatic 10-2 victory over last year's quarter-finalist Rydz.
A 116 finish from Van den Bergh in leg seven sparked a run of six consecutive legs, before the ninth seed sealed his progression with a spectacular 137 finish.
"I'm very proud of the way I played today, especially with the level of opponent I was up against," said the Belgian, who averaged 100 and converted 71 per cent of his attempts at double.
"The crowd are amazing. Every time I hear them singing my name, it makes me so happy. I'm here to do a job, I'm here to chase my dream, and I cannot wait for my next match."
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In Saturday's opening match, Ratajski, who reached the semi-finals last year, opened this year's tournament with an impressive 10-6 win over former Lakeside Champion Stephen Bunting.
"It was a good game. Stephen put me under pressure throughout, but I'm really happy," reflected Ratajski, who averaged 98.43 to continue his impressive record at the Winter Gardens.
"I feel really good and now I am playing at a high level. I believe I can play much better, and I expect to produce this in the next few matches."
Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts. You can watch the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool - live on Sky Sports over the next nine days.
