How many players have lost their first two games of a Grand Slam of Darts group stage, and have then gone on to qualify?
Zero. Absolutely none. That answer could technically change to 'four' by the end of Thursday night. Adam Hunt, Lisa Ashton, Ian White and Mikuru Suzuki are down, but none are out. Meanwhile, Michael van Gerwen is the only player turning up on Thursday who knows he'll be back for the knockouts. As a result, this session is very different from Wednesday's.
First we head to Group C, which we knew was going to be a tough one for Lisa Ashton. And yet the four-time world champion could've come into this clash with Jose de Sousa on two points. She couldn't hold on against Krzysztof Ratajski, but can still technically pip both Ratajski and de Sousa to second. The way Jose is playing - plus the fact that Ashton hasn't thrown her best stuff yet - makes that unlikely.
Michael Smith could have sealed qualification by the time he takes to the stage, but Krzysztof Ratajski's future will be in doubt regardless. Intriguingly, despite Smith's overall fantastic form, it's the Pole who managed the best average of anyone in the group during his comeback win over Ashton. There's a good chance that this is going to be total blockbuster.
Jonny Clayton and Mikuru Suzuki don't have time to console each other over losing to Gerwyn Price, as they've got their Grand Slam futures to compete over. Callous as it is, Clayton needs to think not just about beating the BDO world champion, but bolstering his leg difference in the process. If Suzuki can capture the best bits from her first two games, especially the Price battle, she has a shot at toppling Clayton.
Ryan Joyce was always going to be a thorn in the side of the Welsh pair; he narrowly lost out to Jonny Clayton, but Gerwyn Price is still there for the taking. While Price hasn't been anywhere near his scorching best, this dip can't last, and the motivation to continue his second title defence should prompt a much better showing.
Ian White's got himself into a mighty pickle here. It's not like the Diamond has played badly, but two quite heavy defeats leave him on zero points and a minus five legs difference. Thanks to his win over Peter Wright, Dirk van Duijvenbode's in a much better position. If the Dutchman starts well, it could deflate White and boost his chances of escaping this group. Of course, if it's a bit too breezy for van Duijvenbode, he might not feel so confident.
After a chastening opening defeat, Peter Wright needed something a bit like a 106.8 average and a big win to make up for it. That's exactly what he did. And so qualification is back in his hands. But Devon Petersen is in form, is just a couple of legs away from qualifying for the knockout stage on debut and will want three out of three. This could get hairy for Snakebite.
Gabriel Clemens suffered his first ever Grand Slam group defeat last time out - but he won't be too worried, given that he ran head-on into Michael van Gerwen, who was firing on all cylinders. Adam Hunt will be a little buoyed by pushing Joe Cullen all the way. However, he has to thrash a player who needs to be on the end of something special to be thrashed just to stand a chance of the unlikeliest of Grand Slam escapes.
The plan's pretty clear for Joe Cullen, right? Piece of cake. First, hope that whatever happens in the Clemens-Hunt game, it's tight. A 5-0 Clemens win knocks him out before a dart is thrown. Then there's the small matter of beating the world number one. There is a scenario in which Cullen can lose, and still go through - but it's not exactly an aspirational target really, is it. So the Rockstar's only option is to go for broke. If MVG is up for it, the night could end with some real fireworks.
2020 Grand Slam of Darts Schedule
Thursday November 19 (19:00 GMT)
19:10 Jose De Sousa v Lisa Ashton (C)
19:40 Michael Smith v Krzysztof Ratajski (C)
20:10 Jonny Clayton v Mikuru Suzuki (G)
20:40 Gerwyn Price v Ryan Joyce (G)
21:10 Ian White v Dirk van Duijvenbode (E)
21:40 Peter Wright v Devon Petersen (E)
22:10 Gabriel Clemens v Adam Hunt (A)
22:40 Michael van Gerwen v Joe Cullen (A)
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