The all-American last 16 clash at Lakeside between Danny Lauby Jr. and Leonard Gates had looked like being one of the ties of the round. Ultimately though, it was a quite comfortable 3-0 win for Lauby.
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"Wasn't the best scoring power from either of us honestly. We both have much more in the tank than that," reflects the 30-year-old in his post-match interview. "But you know, I sealed the deal, hit the doubles and that's what matters."
Although this is Lauby's Lakeside debut, he's twice before qualified for Ally Pally. On both occasions, the left hander was on the wrong end of a 3-2 defeat. "I feel like the preparation and just the time and work I've been doing is paying off. I'm a big fan of his as well, I just got over the line tonight," he says. "My manager was saying it's the first time two US players played have against each other here since '94. It's a big deal and like I said, I have a lot of admiration for that man and I'm a big fan of his so I knew it was going to be a tough match."
After dumping out one of the pre-tournament favourites, the confidence within Lauby is understandably high. "I know what I can do," he asserts. "I'm coming for the title. This is what I've been working for."
In the quarterfinals, Lauby faces off against the 2006 Lakeside champion, Jelle Klaasen.
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.