Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship Preview

James Punt recommended just one bet yesterday and it was a winner at 2.00. Can he do the same again this afternoon? Check out his Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship preview and tips below.

Jamie Hughes vs. Raymond Smith

This time last year Hughes was playing with an elbow injury, and he went out to Adam Hunt 0-3 in the first round. Surgery on the elbow followed and then a period of rehabilitation and he wasn’t seen until March. He was back up to speed quickly with a players championship semi-final. Things went a bit quiet after that until another semi-final in September. Yozza then failed a covid test and was forced to withdraw from the players championship finals. So he started the year injured and finished it sick. It is hard to get any sort of grip on his form.

Raymond Smith is one of the Australian qualifiers and has played here once before, losing 2-3 to Alan Tabern in 2018. He has won nine of his last ten matches on the Australian tour. His seasonal average is just 82.3. Clearly, he will need to play his A game at this level, but that game is rarely seen. A high 80s might be enough if Hughes isn’t firing and as he has played so little recently, I don’t know what to expect from him.

Hughes is the 1.36 favourite, Smith 3.40. Hughes should win but this is another no bet match.

Callan Rydz vs. Yuki Yamada

Rydz has been in good form, winning six of his last ten senior level matches. He failed in his quest to win the World Youth Championship late last month but on the pro tour he has picked up two titles in 2021 and his average from the start of October is 95.16. He is one of the players who is capable of hitting really big scores and when he gets more consistent, he should be winning a lot of titles. Rydz has won both his previous opening matches here but it must be said that his form in majors has been far from his best.

Yamada has a 100% winning record in 2021. However, he has only played ten matches, all in the Japanese qualifier for this event. Yamada made his Ally Pally debut in 2019 and beat Ryan Meikle 3-1 in the first round.

Japan keeps on producing players who come in under the radar in this championship, but many cause an upset or two. In the last four years we have had four Japanese first round winners from six matches.

Rydz is the 1.07 favourite and Yamada 10.00. Rydz is good but not that good. We have seen a few big favourites being taken to deciders already this week and Yamada is not here for a holiday.

Darius Labanauskas vs. Mike De Decker

Labanauskas is defending quarter final prizemoney from the 2020 Championship and from being on the cusp of the top 32, he would be out of the top 40 if he loses this. He has won six of his last ten and reached the semi-final of the last players Championship qualifier. There is no doubt that his A game has improved year on year, but his B game isn’t good enough. There are too many sub 90 averages.

Mike de Decker was a late replacement when the South African qualifier had to withdraw. He has beaten Labanauskas in two of their three previous matches. The Belgian has had a poor season with a win rate of just 43%. We last saw him at the Grand Slam where he won just one leg from his three group matches.

Labanauskas is more accomplished in the majors while De Decker has really struggled in them. He has played ten major matches, lost eight and he has been whitewashed in three of his last five, including a 0-3 loss to the Japanese qualifier here last year. Lucky D, on the other hand, has played ten World Championship matches and won seven so he will very much feel at home here.

Labanauskas is the 1.44 favourite, but I’ll take him on the handicap for a better return.

Saturday Afternoon PDC World Championship Tip: 1 point Darius Labanauskas to win -1.5 legs @ 1.90 with Unibet

Ian White vs. Chris Landman

White is a player on the slide. He was always a better player on the floor, winning ten pro tour titles, but he enjoyed euro tour success as well, winning three titles. However it never happened for him in the majors with a losing Players Championship finals being his best result. White has lost seven of his last ten matches and he is getting very frustrated, losing matches even when he plays well.

He still averages 94.5 for the season and he has been around that for the last couple of months, but he is finding winning hard and there is a bit of a vicious circle going on. Nothing that a good run won’t sort out, but when you need something to happen often it becomes harder to get. His World Championship record says played 17, won 7 and he has lost his last four.

Chris Landman plays on the Challenge tour, the PDC’s second division, where he averages 84.6 Landman beat Scott Mitchell 3-0 in the first round, a very forgettable match in which Mitchell never turned up. Landman averaged 89 an its unlikely he will play much better today.

Diamond Lacks Confidence

White is the better player by a considerable distance, but he lacks confidence and his recent Ally Pally experiences have all been bad ones. He has lost his last three opening matches, despite playing well, sound familiar? His three losing averages have been 98.7, 100.3 and 102.3. However, they were to experienced players (Petersen, Labanauskas and Huybrechts) and Landman doesn’t fit that bill.

This is a good draw for White. There are plenty of players who could have extended his losing run, but if he can’t beat Landman then he is in serious bother.

White is the 1.36 favourite, Landman 3.40. This is a match where the favourite should win at a canter, but that favourite is turning losing into an art form. It is a shame that Landman has so little to commend him as a possible winner on his own merits. White may get stage fright and have a melt down on his doubles, but he is going to have so many chances to win legs that he really should get the job done. No bet.

-JamesPunt