Due to his previous
World Matchplay form, Dimitri van den Bergh was installed as one of the favourites for the title, but
Jonny Clayton has paid heed to that for a sensational display to reach the Quarter-Finals.
Clayton sealed a superb 11-6 victory with a 102 average and high finishes of 170, 156 and 126 to reach the last eight for the first time.
He started off with the showpiece 170 checkout to establish a 3-2 lead over Van den Bergh.
Van den Bergh piled in a magnificent 125 checkout to go 4-3 down but Clayton continued to produce going 6-4 up with back-to-back legs.
He continued to take control with a 7-4 lead with a 80 checkout and followed that up with a superb surge hitting a 156 and 126 checkout to go one leg away at 10-6.
Clayton finished it off on double eight with Van den Bergh missing darts to prolong the tie further.
Where can I watch the World Matchplay on TV?
The tournament will be broadcast in full on Sky Sports going between Action and Main Event.
From Saturday, July 15 through Wednesday, July 20, broadcasts will begin around 7 p.m. ET. In addition, on Sunday, July 16, there will be an afternoon session starting at 1 p.m. After the second round, the starting time of the evening sessions moves up one hour.
On Sunday afternoon, July 24, the second edition of the Women's World Matchplay is scheduled to begin at 1:00 pm. Here, eight ladies will compete for the title at the most important women's tournament in the PDC.
How much prize money can be earned at the World Matchplay
After the World Darts Championship, the World Matchplay is the ranking tournament with the largest prize pool at the PDC. A total of 800,000 pounds of prize money is up for grabs at this event.
All 32 participants are guaranteed £10,000 in prize money. This could eventually add up to a check of as much as £200,000 for the darter who gets to lift the Phil Taylor Trophy on Sunday, July 23.