Gary Anderson and James Wade have never met in a major final with both having won 17 major titles between themselves. Sadly, just one of their quests for another major will end tomorrow when they face each other in the Round of 16. Anderson went through the gears to beat Justin Pipe while Wade easily beat his opponent Keegan Brown.
“I’m past caring. I am getting to the stage where I don’t care what people are saying, maybe the heart is not in it as much, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t care,” said Anderson. Am I gonna do this until I’m 55/60? No. I am not playing darts 12 months of the year for the next 10 years.”
Wade had similar words but everyone knows with a quarter-final spot up for grabs both will be bringing their A-game. Anderson leads the head to head 33-17 but “THE MACHINE” has the better record in Matchplay competitions. James looked so composed in the Summer Series, he is keen to impress in a tournament that hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for a while,” added Mark Webster. “It depends on what Gary turns up because James will play well, he will play with a high 90 average but Gary is one of the best players in the world. Gary is much more relaxed about things now, Some players would be worried about defending prize money but not Gary, who is very chilled out.”
Wade has said that he loves the format and is the purest form of the game. He said, “It’s a true reflection of how you’re playing. It’s not like sets – sets are a lost world in my opinion because you can win more legs and lose the game. I never understood that. Match format is the best format. You’re first to a certain amount of legs and that’s it, it’s done. Insets you can play like a game-play, you can rest back and let that set go. And then come back when it’s your throw. But match-format, you can’t hide.”
