PDC World Darts Championship Round-up | Rob Cross avoids upset against Ian White as tensions flare between Cullen and Suljovic

Former world champion Rob Cross continued his progress in the PDC World Darts Championship with a 3-1 win over Ian White which followed a controversial matchup between Joe Cullen and Mensur Suljovic.

Cross took the lead before a 180 left him on double 12. It looked like he was going to break the White throw but a phenomenal 167 checkout from Diamond levelled the tie up. Cross continued the exceptional finishing by pinning double eight before finding its next-door neighbour double 16 for the first set.

Voltage’s level fell drastically in the second set. He missed darts to get on level terms as White broke the throw. He had no problem in sealing the set on double six, keeping this match very much in the balance. His level was still below par at the start of the third set but his form on double 18 bailed him out. He found the red bit to break before ending up there for a 113 checkout, sealing the set and putting him back ahead.

The pair finally started playing well in unison, mustering up a decent set. White began with a 15-darter before Cross nailed double 16 to hold. He should have had a dart at the bull or better to break but him missing the big number allowed White to sneak ahead. A 14-darter moved him within one of the match, and he took out 82 in three to seal a big victory which will see him return after Christmas. It will either be Damon Heta or Stefan Bellmont in round three for the 2018 world champion.

It was a low-quality match between Cullen and Suljovic, but the Gentle Giant was able to win three sets on the bounce to triumph 3-1, with drama at the end taking the headlines. Suljovic should have broken in the first leg, but five missed darts allowed Cullen to salvage the deficit. The Rockstar then followed it with a 170 checkout, breaking the throw himself while adding his name to a long list of players who have reeled in the big fish this year. He followed that up with a 16-darter on tops to take the early advantage.

Suljovic’s poor form at the oche continued. He desperately needed to take 170 out to prevent Cullen from breaking but ended up scoring seven and leaving himself on a bogey number. Cullen found double seven for a fourth consecutive leg but was broken back instantly by Suljovic. He followed this up with a 24-darter, afforded due to Cullen’s scoring ability plummeting. Suljovic produced a bit of quality to level the scoreline, pinning two tops for a 100 checkout. He won the set with a 77 average.

Cullen got out of the blocks much quicker, finding a 13-darter before backing it up with a break. He should have wrapped up the set moments later, but three missed darts allowed the fortunate Austrian to break straight back on double one after his doubling woes prolonged. The Gentle Giant turned the set around and despite averaging 83 for the match, a barren spell for Cullen allowed Suljovic steal the set to take the lead for the first time.

Suljovic drew first blood in the fourth set but more unnecessary sloppiness on the outer ring saw Cullen drag himself back into it, breaking to go 2-1 ahead. He was throwing for the set but another poor showing saw Suljovic break back. It was his turn to throw for the set, and subsequently the match. A match dart was squandered for a 115 checkout, but he was afforded more chances after Cullen spurned two to stay in the match. Suljovic got over the line on double 10, with words between the two shared after a highly contentious match. This did not stop on stage, with Cullen sharing his views on X shortly after the conclusion. For Suljovic, he could be facing reigning world champion Luke Littler in the third round.

Krzysztof Ratajski was in blistering form as he disposed of a lacklustre Ryan Joyce 3-1. The two former quarter-finalists met up in this round in the 2021 version, with the Polish Eagle coming out a convincing 3-0 winner. He looked like repeating that success early on as he won three legs on the spin to win the first set. This included a missed bull for a 132 followed by an incredible 135 outshot on tops for the set. He was averaging over 101 at this point.

His rich vein of form continued as he gave Joyce little to feed of. Relentless did clinically take out 69 in two but that was about all the joy he got in the second set. A 13 and 15 dart hold from Ratajski put him in command before pouncing on some woeful doubling from Joyce to wrap up the second set.

Joyce needed to find something and fortunately took his chance. Ratajski raced ahead on his throw but missed six darts around the board. Joyce, who came close to a terrific 140 checkout, nailed double eight to break. His great finishing continued as he took out 120 to clinch the third set.

However, this would be the last legs he would win in this World Championship. Joyce missed two at double four to break before another four opportunities in the next leg were wated. Ratajski punished these and sealed the victory with a 13-darter. A possible third round matchup against Gerwyn Price is firmly on the cards.

Luke Woodhouse breezed through his second round matchup against Max Hopp, dropping just one leg in a 3-0 victory. Woodhouse came out of the blocks faster, opening with a 14-dart break of throw. He then went on to miss double 16 for a 101 checkout two legs in a row but missed doubles from Hopp in the brace of legs, including the bull for a 167, saw Woodhouse fall back on double eight to clinch the first set.

The next three legs also went the way of the Englishman. A break of throw put him in the driving seat before crawling over the line in the third and final leg on double three to wrap up another whitewash set.

Hopp did manage to get his first leg at the start of the third set but that was about it for the German. Woody broke the throw to make it 2-1 before finishing his opponent off with a 92 outshot to see him move through to the third round.