The 2021 PDC World Matchplay continues with the second day of action on Sunday, July 18, starting with four afternoon fixtures. Here is our betting preview for the first four matches of the day, with our betting picks.
2021 PDC World Matchplay – Day 1 Recap
We have had a rough start of the day, with Vincent van der Voort and Dirk van Duijvenbode losing their bouts with Dave Chisnall and Jonny Clayton, respectively; however, it was a solid showing from the two Dutch darts players.
Van der Voort has played well and kept world no.9 on the PDC Oder of Merit close, but eventually came out short and lost 8-10. Similarly, Van Duijvenbode started strong and hit a good amount, yet came out short with 7-10.
After two devastating losses, Gerwyn Price and Dimitri Van den Bergh came to the rescue and won their matches quite convincingly. Current no.1, Price defeated Jermaine Wattimena 10-4, handing him his fourth R1 exit at the PDC World Matchplay, while Van den Bergh showed little struggle in his 10-5 victory against Devon Petersen.
With Price and van den Bergh hitting at 1.80 and 2.20 respectively, we ended the day at square one. If you plan on following our betting picks, make sure you check around for the best odds!
Ratajski K. – Dolan B.
Sunday, July 18 – 13:10 BST
The Polish Eagle will take on Brendan Dolan on Sunday, July 14, in what promises to be an exciting and close affair. Krzysztof Ratajski enters the match favoured to win; however, his floor form hasn’t been the best this term.
From 20 events in 2021, he has managed only two quarter-finals, which is definitely not the same level of play he has been showing over the years. On a more positive note, he has made it to the quarter-finals of the UK Open, where he ended up losing to Michael Van Gerwen.
Still, Ratajski has averaged solid stats on the season, including 97.43, and a 58.49% win rate.
Dolan made it to the last 16 at the UK Open, where he lost to Simon Whitlock; however, that doesn’t take away from his showings in the Players Championship events. He has one victory, one final appearance, three semi-finals, and two quarter-finals which are respectable results.
Ratajski might be a higher-rated player, but with the form Dolan has been showing of late, it’s hard to pass on him at 2.10.
Prediction: Brendan Dolan to win – 2.30 at Boyle, 2.20 Betway, 2.19 Pinnacle
Durrant G. – Rydz C.
Sunday, July 18 – 14:00 BST
Callan Rydz enters the match as a heavy betting favourite (1.28 at Bet365), which makes a lot of sense. Although he is lower-rated than Glen Durrant, the current no.12 is struggling with his form and hasn’t looked good since finishing bottom of the Premier League.
Durrant has lost all but one of his last eight games and is genuinely having a year to forget. His floor form hasn’t been impressive either, seeing how his quarter-finals run at Players Championship Three is his best result to date.
While a 1-7 record across his last eight seems bad enough, Durrant is also 5-25 in his last 30, further confirming he is no longer at the level he was in 2020, when he won the Premier League. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Durrant’s seasonal stats are some of the worst in the field, including 86.80, 180s per leg ratio (0.09) and 29.27% win percentage.
Rydz, on the other side, is enjoying a great year and seems to be on the up. He performed well at the UK Open, where he made it to the final 32, and has had a solid showing on the floor as well, winning Players Championship Two, and made it to the semi-finals at Players Championship 16.
In comparison to Durrant, Rydz’s numbers show 94.27, 180s per leg ratio (0.24) and 64.58% win rate.
Prediction: Callan Rydz -3.5 legs – 2.10 at Bet365
Cross R. – Smith R.
Sunday, July 18 – 14:50 BST
Ross Smith has done well against Rob Cross before, beating the latter in the 1/32 finals of Players Championship 15 with 6-5. With that result, he emulated his success from September 2019, when he eliminated Cross from the 1/8 finals of Players Championship 26.
Cross has also had somewhat iffy showings on the season, suffering early exits from The Masters, UK Open and Premier League. He has, however, solid seasonal stats, which include 96.05, 60% win rate and a 0.23 per leg 180 ratio.
Smith has had a solid year, winning his first PDC title at Players Championship 19, and has made it to the finals of Players Championship 10, where he lost to Michael Smith. In comparison, Smith averages 94.89 and has a respectable 0.30 rate of 180 per leg.
This one is very tough to call and seems more like a toss-up rather than anything else. Cross should be slightly favoured after his resurgence in form, but this affair won’t be one-sided.
Prediction: Over 16.5 Legs – 1.80 at William Hill, 1.72 at Bet365
Wade J. – Humphries L.
Sunday, July 18 – 15:40 BST
World no.4 James Wade and Luke Humphries will play a rematch of the UK Open finals in March when Wade celebrated a comfortable 11-5 victory. It was a painful loss for Humphries, who lost his fourth final of 2021.
Perhaps the losses were that much harder to swallow, knowing that he has been playing well in all of his finals, averaging 96.13. But, unfortunately, he faced players who have averaged well over 100, including Wade, who posted 102.52 on the day.
Humphries has been playing well on the season, averaging 96.66 on the year with a 68,57% win rate, while his rate of 180s per leg dropped to 0.27 from 0.31 in 2020. Regardless, Humphries can be deadly when he finds his form – as seen at the start of the month when he beat Wade 6-1 in the 1/16 finals of Players Championship 19.
Wade has had a resurgence in recent years and now sits in fourth place in the PDC Order of Merit, making him the highest placed Englishman. His most significant achievement was winning the UK Open; however, Wade was just as impressive in other events, reaching the quarter-finals of the Masters and finishing sixth in the Premier League.
Wade’s seasonal stats show 96.27, a 65.38% win rate and a 0.21 rate of 180s per leg. It’s worth noting that Wade has dropped in a form slightly since the Premer League, registering only two 100+ in 23 matches; however, he should definitely be considered as the man to beat here.
One big reason is his 60% checkout rate, which could be the decision-making strength today.
Prediction: James Wade to win – 1.74 at Matchbook, 1.73 at Pinnacle
Check back for 2021 PDC World Matchplay – Day 2 Evening Picks, which will get posted later today. If you wish to check out what else we’re betting on today, visit our premium betting page, where you can also find more information about our membership.
