Quarter-finals (Best of 17 Legs)
The quarter-finals saw matches extended to the best of 17 legs and a race to 9, a format more suited to the longer players. In the first quarter-final, Adrian Lewis pulled away from Denis Ovens when the match had been in deadlock at 6-6. Ovens 5-4 and 6-5 up then seemed to lose composure as the 21 year old went onto win 9-6 with a 108 shanghai 18 checkout.
Lewis will meet Dennis Priestley after the Yorkshireman came from 5-2 behind against Peter Manley to win 9-7 in a thrilling contest. Manley proved why he is One Dart as he moved into the lead twice breaking the throw and it was only in leg 8 that Priestley began to show the darts that took him to the semi-finals of the 2005 World Grand Prix. Four straight legs put him 6-5 up and left Manley a fight on his hands. Double 10 from Peter levelled the game before the 55 year old moved 7-6 with a tremendous 124 checkout of Treble 20, 14 and Bull to take the 13th leg.
Manley levelled at seven apeice with double top after Priestley missed doubles, before a bad 15th leg let Dennis edge 8-7 up and within one of the win, the 16th was Similar and Dennis was through a 9-7 winner.
Phil Taylor would also reach the last four though he needed to regain his focus against a determined Mark Dudbridge. Dudbridge beaten 7 sets to four in the final of the 2005 World Championships, the last time he reached a quarter-final trailed Taylor 7-3 in legs as The Power moved into the driving seat after trailing 3-2 before embarking on a five leg run. Three successive legs from Dudbridge closed the gap to 7-6 before Taylor stopped the rot in the fourteenth. A 12-dart leg in the 15ths allowed Taylor home a 9-6 victor.
Ronnie Baxter like Taylor had to regain focus in his match against Wayne Mardle. Baxter led 2-0 and then went onto be 7-1 up at the mid match interval. Mardle who usually takes to be struggling to produce his best darts closed the gap to 7-5 but missed a chance to make it 7-6 as Baxter moved clear to 8-5. Baxter missed a match dart in the next leg and Mardle took double six. But it was different in the 15th as Mardle missed his chance to make it 8-7 as Baxter moved through.
Read more about this topic: World Series Of Darts, Day Two