Mensur Suljovic aims jibe at Jermaine Wattimena after World Matchplay thrashing

Suljovic cruised to a 10-1 victory on Sunday night, with Wattimena averaging just 82. The 2018 World Matchplay runner-up cruised through the tie, but tempers flared throughout. At one stage, Wattimena stopped to sarcastically applaud his opponent for perceived slow play.

The Dutchman called Suljovic a "cheater" on Dutch television - but has since issued an apology for the comments.

At around the same time, the Gentle questioned Wattimena for his part in the spat.

"Jermaine is my friend. I think 'is everything OK?'

"He had a problem with me, really - I don't know what his problem was," Suljovic said to Live Darts.

Suljovic mimed talking animatedly, and added: "It's really not my problem, it's his problem."

Having got the Wattimena match out of the way, Suljovic will face James Wade in the second round. The Austrian has a lot of respect for the Machine, who beat Jeffrey de Zwaan in a sudden death leg.

"It's a 50/50," is how Suljovic assessed his chances.

"I thought he'd lost, 100 per cent, to Jeffrey de Zwaan. I come back - it's finished. It's brilliant."

"James Wade is James Wade. In the last 20 years, he's top ten."