PDC World Darts Championship 2020 preview and schedule: Sunday December 29, afternoon session

The turn of the decade looms ever closer, and with it we edge towards the final. There are six games to be played before that point, of course. As it stands, eight players are in with a shout of being world champion. Three were in the World Darts Championship quarter-finals a year ago. One of the remaining five has made it here before. Three are on their best runs, and one is on their first Alexandra Palace trip. By Sunday's end, we'll have whittled this diverse group into the final four.

Nathan Aspinall made his World Darts Championship debut last year, and was expected to bow out in the second round. He refused to, and ended up flying through to the semi-finals. A UK Open title, surprise World Series success and numerous positive performances later, we've learned not to underestimate the Asp. So, should he reach the semi-finals once again, there'll be few arched eyebrows. There was no real shock that the Stockport thrower knocked Gary Anderson out, even with the Scot throwing good stuff. What we know now is that Aspinall is at home on the biggest stages. The ability to turn it on when the attention (and subsequent scrutiny) is at its highest is rare; Aspinall has it in spades. Michael van Gerwen will be wary of Aspinall, if the pair meet on Monday.

Of course, Dimitri van den Bergh deserves similar respect. With questions abounding over whether he's truly kicked on from being a youngster with limitless potential, the Belgian has turned up and excelled. But he undoubtedly suffers with nerves on the stage. It's clear in the sudden and profuse sweating, the constant self-implemented pep talks, even the rigid grimace that follows a good visit. Those nerves let Adrian Lewis take control of their fourth round tussle.

But van den Bergh is here because, like Aspinall, he has done the right things at the right times. Lewis was bowled over in the final three sets by a man who, like a complex yet beautiful jigsaw puzzle, occasionally makes something click in grand fashion. Aspinall, the former World Youth Championship runner-up, is favourite against the two-time world youth champion. His World Darts Championship hinges on removing van den Bergh's route back into the game, should the Dream Maker start sluggishly.

Peter Wright, had he converted a 3-0 set lead into a 4-0 win, would've written himself some very positive headlines. Beating Jeffrey de Zwaan convincingly (with the Dutchman's masterful display against Dave Chisnall still fresh in our minds) would've afforded Snakebite some major kudos. It also would've been his first truly comfortable game of the 2020 World Darts Championship.

And at 2-0 up in the fourth set, all was well. Then came...de Zwaanstanbul? Or possibly a Wright collapse. Losing 10 out of 13 legs at any stage in a darts match is usually the recipe for defeat. Luckily, he'd built a hefty lead, and even though it was sacrificed, Wright was able to rescue the situation. But instead of smooth passage into the quarter-finals, the former finalist now has another close shave to mull over. While he deserves credit for rescuing the situation and not folding completely, he just isn't showing championship form.

Luke Humphries will have noted De Zwaan's comeback, facilitated by a serious drop in standards from Wright, and seen a route into the semi-finals. The seventh seed is the biggest challenge he's had to face, yet Devon Petersen, Jermaine Wattimena, Nico Kurz and Kim Huybrechts are no mugs. Perhaps Huybrechts is, a bit - refusing the bull route at a key juncture in Saturday's match, only for Humphries to crash in a tide-turning 146 checkout, was a kick-yourself-hard moment. The Belgian took it really well, though. Ahem.

Cool Hand was caught cold by Huybrechts' remarks, but will be even more keen to show his World Darts Championship credentials. Knocking out a top seed in a best-of-nine format is a truly tricky task. But Humphries has dismantled Rob Cross in a best-of-seven, and will have learned from defeat to Michael Smith at this stage last year. There's a lot of confidence among his support that the Englishman will come out on top here. The formbook backs that up, even if Wright remains the bookies' favourite.

12:45 Nathan Aspinall vs Dimitri van den Bergh

14:45 Peter Wright vs Luke Humphries

Click here for more information on the PDC World Darts Championship, which takes place at the Alexandra Palace between December 13 and January 1.