BDO World Darts Championship 2020 preview and schedule: Friday January 10

There's nothing but big games on Friday at the BDO World Darts Championship.

We're well into the business end of the 2020 BDO World Darts Championship. Favourites for the two titles are starting to materialise, but any of the 12 players left could end up a champion. First to play off for men's semi-final spots are Wayne Warren and Chris Landman. This is far beyond anything Landman managed at the Lakeside, and is in fact his best major performance. Warren has been here before and has the edge, but will be wary of the fighting spirit that has seen the Dutchman eke out narrow wins over Gary Robson and Ben Hazel.

Finishing has proved to be the Achilles heel for female players thus far. @TheRedBit180 has pointed out that the overall checkout rate is just over 24 per cent. But for sloppy finishing, this could be a Lorraine Winstanley vs Laura Turner semi-final - but it's the opposite. Lisa Ashton versus Corinne Hammond is a repeat of the 2017 World Darts Championship final, which Ashton won at a canter. On current form, you'd expect more of the same.

Mario Vandenbogaerde is looking unstoppable at the moment. Dennie Olde Kalter put up more of a fight than Sebastian Steyer, but both met the same fate. Vandenbogaerde brings a consistency that his peers struggle to match, which makes the Belgian predictable, in a very ominous way. David Evans was superb throughout a 4-2 success over Richard Veenstra; he may find it even tougher against the 11th seed than the third.

BDO World Darts Championship 2020 preview and schedule: Friday January 10 — Photo: Chris Sargeant/Tip Top Pics

Hogan's heroes

Paul Hogan has reached three World Darts Championship quarter-finals. In 1995, he lost to Richie Burnett, who went on to take the title. Then in 2006, Jelle Klaasen ended his run before claiming the crown. In 2020, is that a fantastic omen for Jim Williams? The Welshman furnished his title credentials with a confident win over Ryan Hogarth. But he's playing the tournament's in-form man; Hogan toed the 100-average mark throughout a classy thrashing of Martijn Kleermaker, ending the match just a shade under it. Perhaps this is the year that Crocodile Dundee takes a step into the unknown - a semi-final.

Just as Hogan would make a popular world champion, so too would Beau Greaves. Unfortunately, she won't be the first 15-year-old to make a World Darts Championship semi-final. As it was her birthday yesterday, Greaves is the first 16-year-old to do it instead. Her tournament average is above those of her counterparts, and the coolness under pressure in a deciding set against Aileen de Graaf is the mark of a champion. So too is an unbeaten run of six games, which Mikuru Suzuki boasts. Those wins straddle her 2019 Lakeside title, and a 2020 championship she's keen to get. The Japanese ace will need to bring all of her considerable talents to the forefront to overcome one of the brightest stars darts has seen in quite some time.

Scott Waites is going through what can only be called a trial by fire at the BDO World Darts Championship. If drawing Martin Adams in the first round was harsh, then playing top seed Wesley Harms was undue punishment for slipping to 16th seed. The World Masters runner-up still dismissed both. But it's another nightmare draw in the quarter-finals; Scott Mitchell is in good form, and has played eight fairly sedate sets compared to Waites' more gruelling and tightly-fought 11. Expect fireworks, as two great Scotts compete for a semi-final slot.