Austrian Darts Open Schedule - Day Three, Afternoon Session

With Michael van Gerwen absent, only Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Max Hopp were competing having reached a final this season. But on Saturday evening, Wright and Hopp were both eliminated. That leaves Smith to fly the flag for the finalists so far. There will definitely be a new European Tour winner for 2018. Rob Cross is the favourite, but all of the 16-strong field on Sunday will fancy their chances. After a German won the German Darts Open, an Austrian taking the Austrian Darts Open crown would provide yet another proud moment for the home support. Mensur Suljovic is still going strong after a barnstorming second round showing.
The afternoon session opens with Wright's conqueror, James Wade. Having knocked out the top seed, his route to Austrian Darts Open glory looks much clearer. But first the Machine has to deal with Jonny Clayton, who saw off Hopp on Saturday. In the second tie, Simon Whitlock's reward for struggling past Adam Hunt is a very tough tie against Ian White. The Graz crowd will be on their feet for Suljovic, who looks to be in top form. Next in the firing line for the Gentle is Cristo Reyes. Daryl Gurney meets Darren Webster following a win over Ron Meulenkamp that was riddled with missed darts at the double. Webster had to battle past Richie Burnett, and Superchin will be an even more difficult opponent.
Now the top seed, the pressure of expectation has been heaped on Cross' shoulders. The world champion now has 200 Pro Tour wins, but no European Tour titles. If he can beat Steve Beaton, he'll be three wins from changing that record. Thanks to an easy win over Dietmar Burger and Dave Chisnall's withdrawal, Wayne Jones has strolled into the last 16. Reaching the quarter-finals by beating Gerwyn Price is not such an easy prospect. Mervyn King thrashed Jason Cullen 6-0 on Saturday. His reward is another Cullen clash, this time with sixth seed Joe. Michael Smith was another whitewash winner. Bully Boy was brilliant as he dispatched Michael Barnard. Next he plays Dimitri van den Bergh, whose win over Benito van de Pas was historically significant. Sunday's action will be the first time in 50 European Tour events that the final day does not feature a single Dutchman.
Play is live on PDC TV and begins at 12pm, with the evening session starting at 6.15pm.

James Wade v Jonny Clayton
Ian White v Simon Whitlock
Mensur Suljovic v Cristo Reyes
Daryl Gurney v Darren Webster
Rob Cross v Steve Beaton
Gerwyn Price v Wayne Jones
Joe Cullen v Mervyn King
Michael Smith v Dimitri van den Bergh

Wade/Clayton v White/Whitlock
Suljovic/Reyes v Gurney/Webster
Cross/Beaton v Price/Jones
Cullen/King v Smith/Van den Bergh
Semi-finals best of 13 legs, final best of 15 legs.