Jan van Veen will face darts idol Gary Anderson in the semi-finals of the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts in a two-generation clash in Wolverhampton on Saturday
Jan van Veen will face darts idol Gary Anderson in the semi-finals of the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts in a two-generation clash in Wolverhampton on Saturday.
Van Veen has taken this year’s Grand Slam of Darts by storm, boasting a tournament average of 108.89 in his group matches and averaging over 106 in his last-16 victory over Ryan Joyce, 10-2.
The Dutchman’s lowest average of the tournament is a staggering 103.99, and he will be hoping to maintain that incredible standard as he continues his pursuit of the iconic Eric Bristow Trophy.
“After finishing top of Group H in the way that I did, there was always going to be pressure on myself to continue that form going into the knockout stages,” conceded Van Veen. “I knew probably not to support 109 or 110 support, but I was really happy with this performance for Ryan.”
Van Vinn plays the second finalist of the Grand Cherem Anderson for the daytime after the Scottish icon missed 10-6 winners in the second round of Stephen Bunting. Masu.
On average 102 people in the four double world champions, Vanvine is one of the largest sports scenes, which is expected to face darts inspiration.
“I have never beaten Gary Anderson before,” revealed the 22-year-old, who lost both of his ProTour encounters against Anderson in 2023.
“Growing up, I was always watching Gary Anderson. He’s my hero, so I’m looking forward to playing with him.
“Then there will be a match up to 31 [legs]. “I’ve never played like this before so we’ll see how it goes, but if I keep playing like this I’ll definitely have a chance this week.”
Anderson has also impressed, reaching his 10th Grand Slam quarter-final, with wins over Ryan Joyce, Michael van Gerwen and Noah-Ling van Leeuwen in the group stage prior to his win over Bunting.
But the 53-year-old was full of praise for van Veen and acknowledged he may need to perform at his best to keep his title hopes alive in Wolverhampton. “Gian played some really great darts,” said Anderson, who made four throws of over a ton to beat Bunting in the last 16. “The averages he gives are spot on and I can’t argue with that. The boy is doing great!
“He’s playing well. He’s great on the court. On stage, I’m not so sure.
“I started the first match off great, and that was my play on the floor. My form has dropped since then, so I’ll look to come back stronger for my next match.
Saturday’s first quarterfinal features Luke Littler and Jermaine Wattimena, fresh from a decisive win over the Belgian duo of Mike Dekker and Dimitri van den Bergh.
Littler fought back from 8-4 behind to deny World Grand Prix champion Dekker a win in a thrilling match in which both players averaged over 103 points and scored the maximum of 10 points each. Meanwhile, Wattimena overcame eight missed darts in a remarkable battle with van den Bergh, also overcoming a 4-0 deficit to win.
Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts 2024 Saturday, November 16 (7:00 pm Japan time) 2 Quarterfinals Jermaine Wattimena vs Luke Littler Gary Anderson vs Jan van Veen