2023 World Matchplay Sunday-Evening Preview

James Punt kept things ticking over this afternoon with two winners from five tips. He is back in action again tonight, check out his 2023 World Matchplay Sunday-Evening tips below.

Nathan Aspinall vs. Krzysztof Ratajski

Aspinall has lost five of his last ten matches but is playing better than that sounds. Seven of his last ten matches saw him averaging 98 or better.

He will be getting frustrated that he is playing well but coming up against players who shoot the lights out. All he can do is keep on putting in the big numbers and he will get a break. The Asp has reached the quarter finals here for the last two years.

Ratajski has lost six of his last ten matches, but he is playing as poorly as that sounds. Six of his last ten averages have been under 91. He lost both his first round matches in this week’s Players Championships with averages of 89 and 86.

Semi Finalist

The Polish Eagle was semi-finalist here in 2021 and the quarter final behind closed doors in 2020. He has won all four of his first round matches in this event and it has been his most lucrative of the majors.

Ratajski has a decent record here, as has Aspinall. It is Aspinall who arrives here playing well, if not getting the results, while Ratajski has been off the boil in most of his recent matches. Their H2H record is 5-3 to Ratajski but Aspinall has won two of the last three.

Aspinall is the 1.53 favourite, which is a bit short, with Ratajski 2.63 which isn’t big enough given his recent lack of form. The side markets are as equally bereft of any value and I’ll pass on this one.

2023 World Matchplay Sunday-Evening tip: No bet

Luke Humphries vs. Jose de Sousa

Humphries has won 12 of his last 13 ranking matches, winning Euro Tour 10 and Players Championship 15 back-to-back. It’s safe to say he is in pretty decent form. He did lose a World Series match to MVG, but he still averaged 105 in that.

De Sousa has won six of his last ten and reached the semi-final of PC16 on Tuesday. He averaged 109 in a 6-3 win over Jonny Clayton in the quarter final and 95.5 over his six matches. He has been hitting some ton plus averages of late but consistency is not his strength. You can’t be sure if you are going to get a ton plus or a sub 90. That makes betting in his matches extra risky.

Their H2H record is 8-4 to De Sousa and since 2022 it is 2-2. In stage matches it is 3-1 to Humphries.

Humphries is the 1.40 favourite, which is fair enough given his form, but he hasn’t dominated De Sousa and the Portuguese Man’o’Scores can shoot the lights out on a good day. We have backed Humphries to win the tournament and that is enough interest for me. No bet.

2023 World Matchplay Sunday-Evening tip: No Bet

Michael van Gerwen vs. Brendan Dolan

Van Gerwen is the 1.14 favourite to bet Dolan for the 23rd time. Dolan has upset the odds on seven occasions, the last being in 2021.

Dolan has showed some decent recent form, reaching the semi-final of PC15 on Monday. MVG didn’t play in this week’s Players Championship and the last time we saw him he was setting records when winning the Polish Masters. If he plays like he did in Poland last weekend, this will be over very quickly.

If Van Gerwen was showing signs of a loss of form, you could consider Dolan, but that isn’t the case right now. Dolan has only ever won 3 matches in eight appearances in the Matchplay and the draw hasn’t been kind to him.

These two did meet in the first round in 2020 and MVG won that 10-7. Of his twelve first round wins in this event, MVG has won four of them, the last three in a row and against Dolan 10-7.

2023 World Matchplay Sunday-Evening tip: 0.5 point Michael van Gerwen to win 10-7 @ 8.00 with SpreadEx, Skybet

Michael Smith vs. Steve Beaton

Smith hasn’t lost a first round match here since 2017, and now that he is a major winner and World Champion, he should be expected to win this. He has won seven of his last ten matches, but not all have seen great scoring.

Steve Beaton is making his 22nd Matchplay appearance but he hasn’t won a first round match since 2016 and he has lost seven of last eight opening matches. His recent form is six wins from his last ten and there has been some decent stuff.

His problem will be if Smith brings his scoring boots. Beaton averages 91.8 in 2023, Smith 96.4. Smith’s average has dropped a little in 2023 but his highs are too good for most and his B game still tough to live with.

Smith is the 1.13 favourite and Beaton the 6.50 outsider. Their H2H record is 16-5 to Smith and he has won eight of their last nine. We are on Smith to win the title and that is enough interest in this match for me. No bet.

2023 World Matchplay Sunday-Evening tip: No Bet

-JamesPunt