Will Wade wear down King as well?

Eight players are still in the 2022 World Darts Championship. On New Year’s Day the field of participants will be halved again in the four quarterfinals. The first of four eagerly awaited matches in the last eight will be played on Saturday noon by James Wade and Mervyn King. According to the odds, the role of favourite lies with the younger of the two Englishmen.

At first glance, this assessment is quite understandable, because while King has already had to go into a deciding set twice in his three matches so far, his opponent – who, by the way, is back in the quarter-finals of a World Championship for the first time since 2017 – has only lost one set. But that was also with the help of the pandemic, as his third-round match against Vincent van der Voort, who tested positive, did not even take place.

Despite this, the advantages are on the side of “The Machine”, who can pose a threat to any opponent in this tournament, especially with his traditionally strong checkout rate. The winner of this match would meet the winner of the Gerwyn Price vs. Michael Smith match in a potential semi-final.

James Wade – Statistics & current form

James Wade has not really broken a sweat in the tournament so far. In his opening match “The Machine” threw a lower average than his opponent Maik Kuivenhoven, but was more consistent in the decisive moments and finally deserved to win 3:1 in sets.

The following match against Vincent van der Voort had to be cancelled, as already mentioned in the introduction, because the Dutchman tested positive before the match. The round of 16 against the “Dutch Giant” Martijn Kleermaker on Thursday evening was thus only the second of the tournament. This time the 38 year old Englishman had no problems at all, won twelve of the 16 legs, improved his average and his doubles rate and deservedly progressed into the last eight with a 4:0 win.

Wade has hardly any weaknesses in his game

For the first time since 2017, the man who has been playing darts since 2011 and especially in the early days of his career won numerous major titles, has made it back to the quarter-finals of the World Championship. By the way, this positive result is not really surprising because Wade already presents himself in a good shape during the whole season.

Among other things, he won the UK Open 2021 or celebrated some statement victories against the top professionals of the scene. As a result, he climbed to fourth place in the world rankings and must therefore be seen as one of the favourites for the title.

The greatest strength of the Englishman, who usually appears very unemotional, is undoubtedly his consistency in a match. “The Machine” is not necessarily known as a power scorer, but he wears down his opponents with an impressive double quota, many high finishes or regular shots with at least one triple. Thanks to these nerves of steel, we expect the odds to pay off between Wade and King in the quarter-finals, too, when betting on the 2009 Premier League winner.

Last matches of James Wade:

World Darts Championship
12/30 2021 – James Wade 4 – 0 Martijn Kleermaker

12/27 2021 – James Wade 0 – 0 Vincent van der Voort

12/20 2021 – James Wade 3 – 1 Maik Kuivenhoven

Players Championship Finals
11/27 2021 – Daryl Gurney 10 – 7 James Wade

11/27 2021 – Callan Rydz 5 – 6 James Wade

Mervyn King – Statistics & current form

Mervyn King is quite an old hand in the darts scene. Not only that he is with 55 years the oldest of the eight remaining professionals in the quarterfinals but also the fact that he already plays for the PDC since 2004 earns him the title “long runner”. But things haven’t been as good as they are now for the current 21st of the world ranking list for a long time.

Despite many positive results the “King” was not able to achieve the big success. The highest of the feelings were finals in the Premier League 2009 (by the way with a defeat against James Wade), at the World Grand Prix 2012 or at the Masters in 2021. In general, the veteran, who lives in Ipswich, should not be underestimated in the autumn of his career. Too often, especially in the last two years, he hinted at what he is capable of.

King has already had to go to the deciding set twice

With the exception of his 4-0 win over Steve Lennon in the third round, King went the full distance in his other two matches, both in the opening 3-2 win over Ryan Joyce and in the last 16 against Hempel’s Raymond Smith. But so far his average was not higher than 92 points. Against Smith an 87 in three darts and an average checkout rate of 35% was enough to book a place in the quarterfinals.

So it is a fact that the oldie has to improve. But it is doubtful whether he will be able to do so in a match that will go over at least five sets and at most even nine sets. We trust the “King” to get off to a good start, but ultimately refrain from making a prediction in favour of the world number 21 between Wade and King, as he will simply lack the necessary consistency over this long distance. James Wade is likely to exploit minor weaknesses immediately, so that even a handicap success of the 17 years younger compatriot contains an exciting value.

Last matches of Mervyn King:

World Darts Championship
12/30 2021 – Raymond Smith 3 – 4 Mervyn King

12/28 2021 – Steve Lennon 0 – 4 Mervyn King

12/21 2021 – Mervyn King 3 – 2 Ryan Joyce

Players Championship Finals
11/26 2021 – Mervyn King 4 – 6 Darius Labanauskas

Grand Slam of Darts Group B
11/15 2021 – Jonny Clayton 5 – 4 Mervyn King

James Wade – Mervyn King Direct Comparison / H2H Record

Mervyn King can be seen as a kind of fear opponent for James Wade. The last seven direct duels all went to the 55-year-old. Three of those seven victories date back to 2021, including a 6-0 whitewash for Wade at the end of October, meaning he hasn’t won against his fellow Brit since 2019.

Looking back at the past ten encounters, King has nine wins to his name. On New Year’s Day, however, the cards will be completely reshuffled, especially as this time it will be over a much longer distance.

James Wade – Mervyn King Tip

It’s all about a place in the semi-finals! James Wade and Mervyn King have the chance to deliver another great result after many years in which they were often just mediocre on the darts scene. On paper the younger of the two Englishmen is favoured and that although the 55-year-old King won nine of the last ten (!) head-to-head duels against his compatriot.

However, this head-to-head record should not obscure the fact that “The Machine” is currently well ahead of King in the world rankings, has clearly made the stronger impression in the tournament so far and should also be blessed with advantages in terms of consistency over a longer distance.

We therefore believe that between Wade and King, the bet on the 38-year-old’s handicap success holds promising value. For that to happen, he would have to win the match by at least 5:3 sets.

Alternatively, it is also possible to bet that the world number four, who is known for his double-out strength, will put the highest finish of the match on the board. Bet365 offers a 1.72 for this. Finally, in the duel Wade vs. King, the betting odds for not throwing a 180 in the first leg should also be mentioned. On the one hand, both are not compelling power scorers, on the other hand, it will certainly take some time until they have fought their way up to their top level.