Former champion James Wade and Scottish stars Gary Anderson and Peter Wright will open the BetVictor World Matchplay on Saturday July 22nd, whilst defending champion Michael van Gerwen will begin his title defence on Monday 24th July, after the schedule of play was confirmed last week.
Blackpool’s iconic Winter Gardens will host the summer’s showpiece tournament from July 22nd-30th, with 32 players competing live on Sky Sports for the prestigious title.
The first round is split across the opening three days, including a double session on Sunday July 23rd, with a star-studded opening night set to kick off the event in style.
Former World-Youth champion Michael Smith will face World Matchplay debutant Steve West in the tournament’s opener, before 2007 champion James Wade takes on an in-form Darren Webster, who sealed his first PDC ranking title for over 12 years in Barnsley earlier this month.
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson then meets former Lakeside world champion Christian Kist, before UK Open winner Peter Wright plays former BDO number one James Wilson in the final match of the opening night.
Premier League ace Jelle Klaasen will kick off Sunday’s double-session with a tie against former quarter-finalist Justin Pipe, who secured the final qualification spot at Players Championship 16 in Barnsley a fortnight ago.
Former World Grand-Prix champion Robert Thornton will aim to improve his horrendous Winter Gardens record when he clashes with Spanish star Cristo Reyes. Thornton has won just one of his eight matches on the Blackpool stage and is under pressure to enjoy a good run to retain his top 16 status.
Last weekend’s U.S Masters finalist Daryl Gurney then faces a tasty showdown against fifteenth seed Benito van de Pas, before world number seven Mensur Suljovic locks horns with Scotland’s John Henderson to conclude the afternoon session.
Phil Taylor begins his final Blackpool campaign before his retirement in Sunday’s evening session, and his assault for an unprecedented 16th World Matchplay crown gets underway with a potential banana-skin against UK Open finalist Gerwyn Price.
Sunday’s evening session also sees three further Premier League stars in action. Five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld meets two-time Pro Tour winner Joe Cullen in a tasty looking encounter, before Dave Chisnall and Kim Huybrechts play Mervyn King and Alan Norris respectively.
World number one Michael van Gerwen kicks off his bid for a third successive World Matchplay crown on Monday evening, when he faces a showdown with former Lakeside world champion Stephen Bunting.
However, the final night of first-round action begins with an all-Australian clash- the first in the tournament’s history, as Simon Whitlock takes on Kyle Anderson. Elsewhere, former finalist Adrian Lewis makes his return from illness against the legendary Steve Beaton, before Ian White clashes with fast-emerging debutant Rob Cross.
The second round is split across Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Blackpool, with the players from the bottom half of the draw playing on Tuesday and those in the top half returning to action on Wednesday. Wednesday’s session could see a potential second-round tie between the legendary duo of Taylor and Van Barneveld.
The quarter-finals are then split across Thursday and Friday, with the semi-finals on Saturday before the eagerly-anticipated final takes place on Sunday. The tournament features a new record £500,000 prize money this year, including £115,000 to the eventual champion, with a £10,000 bonus on offer for a nine-dart finish.
2017 BetVictor World Matchplay
Saturday July 22 (7pm)
4x First Round
Michael Smith v Steve West
James Wade v Darren Webster
Gary Anderson v Christian Kist
Peter Wright v James Wilson
Sunday July 23
Afternoon Session (1pm)
4x First Round
Jelle Klaasen v Justin Pipe
Robert Thornton v Cristo Reyes
Benito van de Pas v Daryl Gurney
Mensur Suljovic v John Henderson
Evening Session (7.30pm)
4x First Round
Dave Chisnall v Mervyn King
Phil Taylor v Gerwyn Price
Raymond van Barneveld v Joe Cullen
Kim Huybrechts v Alan Norris
Monday July 24 (7pm)
4x First Round
Simon Whitlock v Kyle Anderson
Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting
Ian White v Rob Cross
Tuesday July 25 (7pm)
4x Second Round
Suljovic/Henderson v Klaasen/Pipe
Wade/Webster v Smith/West
Anderson/Kist v Van de Pas/Gurney
Wright/Wilson v Thornton/Reyes
Wednesday July 26 (7pm)
4x Second Round
Chisnall/King v Huybrechts/Norris
Lewis/Beaton v White/Cross
Taylor/Price v Van Barneveld/Cullen
Van Gerwen/Bunting v Whitlock/Anderson
Thursday July 27 (7pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Friday July 28 (7pm)
2x Quarter-Finals
Saturday July 29 (7pm)
Semi-Finals
Sunday July 30 (7pm)
Final
Format
First Round – Best of 19 legs
Second Round – Best of 21 legs
Quarter-Finals – Best of 31 legs
Semi-Finals – Best of 33 legs
Final – Best of 35 legs
* Each game must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth additional leg is sudden-death. For example, should a First Round game (best of 19 legs) reach 12-12, then the 25th leg would be the final and deciding leg.
Leave a Reply