The Monday evening session at the 2025 WDF World Championship delivered the tournament’s most dramatic darts so far, featuring a mix of heavyweight clashes, clutch finishes and two major storylines from the women’s draw. With places in the last 16 on the line at Lakeside, the night produced everything from a tournament-high average to narrow escapes, shock exits and a five-set thriller that went all the way to the wire. Here’s how the full session unfolded.

Ben Robb produced the standout performance of the night as he eliminated 2022 world champion Neil Duff in a high-octane 3–1 encounter, firing a tournament-topping 96.29 average to reach the last 16. Duff, making his return to the Lakeside stage this year, pushed hard in spells but was repeatedly overwhelmed by Robb’s scoring surges and big finishing.

The match began with both players feeding off the crowd, celebrations growing louder with each visit. In the deciding leg of the opener, Robb unleashed a devastating spell — a 174, a 180, and a controlled 46 checkout on double top to lead 1–0. Despite being outscored, Duff punished missed doubles in set two, hammering a superb 110 checkout to level before Robb responded with a clinical double-double 100 (S20, D20, D20). Duff then forced a decider and snatched the set with a tidy 39 finish, bringing the match back to 1–1 despite trailing by ten points on the averages.

The third set’s defining moment came when Duff narrowly missed the bull for a spectacular 161 checkout. Robb pounced immediately to claim the deciding leg and restore his lead at 2–1. Robb opened set four with a blistering 11-dart leg, and as Duff’s frustrations grew — even pausing mid-visit to address a noisy table — the New Zealander tightened his grip. A late flourish from Duff, including a brilliant 100 checkout (T20, D20) to deny Robb a match dart, only delayed the inevitable. Robb sealed it moments later and posted the highest average of the tournament so far.

Raymond Smith opened his 2025 Lakeside campaign with an assured 3–0 victory over Clint Clarkson, averaging 90.14 in one of the cleaner displays of the evening. Clarkson matched Smith in patches — including twice responding to Smith’s 180s with maximums of his own — but the Australian always held the stronger scoring rhythm.

A superb 146 checkout won Smith the opening set, and although Clarkson produced a classy 94 finish (S18, D19, D19) at the start of set three, Smith controlled the key moments. He eventually completed the job on double 16 with his fourth match dart to move confidently into the last 16.

Jonas Masalin booked a last-16 meeting with defending champion Shane McGuirk after a tense 3–2 win over Corne Groeneveld — a match defined by swings in momentum, perfectly timed 180s and high-pressure finishes.

Groeneveld opened with five perfect darts but couldn’t convert, and Masalin repeatedly applied pressure at crucial moments, including clutch 180s in legs where Groeneveld was threatening to level. Groeneveld forced the match deep with roaring celebrations in sets two and three, and even produced a clean 67 finish (T17, D8) to stay alive.

But Masalin delivered when it mattered most: a superb 120 checkout to force a deciding set, followed by a composed 60 finish (S20, D20) to seal victory. Groeneveld hit six 180s in defeat.

Paul Krohne opened the session with a solid 3–1 victory over Dalibor Smolik. Krohne took the first two sets by identical 3–1 margins, including a sharp 100 checkout in set two, before Smolik replied with a spirited third set.

But Krohne tightened up again in the fourth, opening with a 14-dart leg and closing with a straightforward 40 checkout to claim the match. Krohne averaged 85.11, Smolik 86.39, but Krohne’s superior timing on the doubles proved decisive.

The women’s draw produced two contrasting stories: a top seed clinging on — and a seed falling early.

Lerena Rietbergen narrowly avoided a huge upset, surviving seven missed match darts from Aletta Wajer before winning with a sensational 142 checkout in the final leg of the final set. Wajer, who defeated Aaja Jalbert in round one, repeatedly pushed Rietbergen out of rhythm, and the top seed even gave herself a sarcastic clap after a messy early leg. But when her tournament life was on the line, she produced one of the finishes of the night to squeeze into the quarter-finals.

Elsewhere, the biggest shock of the women’s event so far saw Maria Carli defeat seeded contender Nicole Regnaud in straight sets. Carli overturned a 2–0 deficit in the first set, then kept her composure while Regnaud struggled on the doubles, sealing the match with steadier finishing across both sets.