Jelle Klaasen has kept his hopes alive of becoming a two-time Lakeside champion. The 2006 winner overcame Danny Lauby Jr. in a very entertaining quarter-final, 4-1.
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"It wasn't that consistent but it was so hot up there, I'm just happy with the win," 'The Cobra' reviews if his performance in his post-match interview. "I think the first set made a big difference. If he would have finished it and won the first set, maybe the game would have gone his way. But now, it went my way."
With both players exceptionally quick, Klaasen admits he found it difficult to get into his own rhythm initially. "The first set, I was still trying to figure out how to play against him. Because he's so fast, you have to find a way to not let him make you play faster," Klaasen explains. "So the first set I was just trying to figure that out. After that, I I felt pretty comfortable but the scoring wasn't great. Thankfully the finishing wasn't bad, so I'm happy."
"The last few years I'm not that fast anymore," Klaasen continues. "It takes you out of your own rhythm and if you start speeding up you don't play your own game anymore. So I had to take a little bit more time just to play my game."
In the semi-final, an all-Dutch affair awaits Klaasen after Chris Landman sent reigning champion Neil Duff packing. "That's something good for Dutch darts. He's a good friend of mine and he's such a great guy so it's going to be a tough game. He's a fast player as well so I'm looking forward to that game."
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.