"This time we go all the way" - Andy Baetens confident of taking Lakeside crown after breaking quarter-final hoodoo
WDFSaturday, 09 December 2023 at 12:00
Although he was made to work for it by Jonny Tata, number one seed Andy Baetens is into the semi-finals at Lakeside for the first time in his career.
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"I played very well," assesses the Belgian post-match, having finished off the 4-2 win with a 93.27 average, compared to his opponent's 91.64. "Johnny also played very well. I think it was a good game for the spectators."
Although Baetens raced into a 3-0 set lead, every set went the full distance and could easily have gone the other way. After match darts had come and gone and Tata pulled back to 3-2, Baetens admits he began to feel the pressure.
"I was feeling nervous. Jonny was hitting 180 after 180, his checkouts were good, but I hid my nerves and I win the game,'' says the pre-tournament favourites. "Now I play a semi-final, here on the Lakeside stage. Three times I've come here, two times it's been a quarter-final, this time we go all the way."
In the semi-final, Baetens faces the Swedish Strongman, Dennis Nilsson after the Swede knocked out Wesley Plaisier with a tournament high average of 97.44. "He's a very good player so we'll see," Baetens previews.
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Kieran WoodDarts Journalist
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.
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