PDC Shanghai Darts Masters 2018, first round draw

Only one man has ever won the Shanghai Darts Masters title - Michael van Gerwen. The 2016 and 2017 champion is only the fourth seed for this year's event. That sets up a potential semi-final against US Darts Masters winner Gary Anderson. Peter Wright and Rob Cross are also seeded, while Daryl Gurney, James Wade, Michael Smith and Gerwyn Price reprise their Las Vegas roles as the other invitees. They're joined by eight Asian representatives, three from the PDC Asia Tour and five from host nation China.
Anderson gets things kicked off in Shanghai, as he meets the only one of the Asian contingent to hold a PDC Tour Card. Royden Lam doesn't turn up for many events, but he'll be in attendance for this World Series fixture. Then China World Cup star Xiaochen Zong takes on Premier League finalist Smith.
The world number one follows, and says 'ni hao' to Lihao. Van Gerwen plays against Lihao Wen, before Daryl Gurney faces Filipino former World Masters semi-finalist Lourence Ilagan. Rob Cross, the second seed, begins his campaign against Chengan Liu.
James Wade, on a high after beating van Gerwen in Vegas, plays Hai-Long Chen. That's followed by an intriguing clash between third seed Peter Wright and Japanese ace Seigo Asada. Along with Haruki Muramatsu, Asada made waves at the World Cup and will be out to cause another surprise.
Gerwyn Price was the only invitee to lose against a home nations qualifier at the US Darts Masters. It's something that has never happened at this event, so he'll be looking to avoid history both repeating itself and being created as he clashes with Yuanjin Liu.
Play begins on Friday at 11:30am, with ITV4 coverage pushed back to 8pm.

Gary Anderson (1) v Royden Lam
Michael Smith v Xiaochen Zong
Michael van Gerwen (4) v Lihao Wen
Daryl Gurney v Lourence Ilagan
Rob Cross (2) v Chengan Liu
James Wade v Hai-Long Chen
Peter Wright (3) v Seigo Asada
Gerwyn Price v Yuanjun Liu
https://twitter.com/DartsShanghai/status/1014568519122337792