Will Suljovic and Rodriguez make short work of it?
Last year, Austria narrowly missed out on their first World Team title. After the Austrians eliminated several top-class players from the competition in the course of the tournament, a bitter defeat against Scotland followed in the final of the 2021 World Cup. In a thrilling final Suljovic/Rodriguez lost against Wright/Henderson.
This week the next World Cup fairy tale of the Austrians will start, who will again start with Mensur Suljovic and Rowby-John Rodriguez. To start with, they have to overcome a compulsory task with Finland.
As expected, the bookmakers see the runners-up from Austria as clear favourites against Finland in the World Doubles Championship. The Scandinavians are one of the weakest nations at the Darts World Cup 2022, so it would be all the more surprising if the Finnish duo wins against the title-ambitious Austrians.
In the last three years, Finland has always been eliminated in the first round of the World Doubles Championship. Last year, Finland had to bow out of the World Cup after losing 5-2 to Wales. A year earlier, the Scandinavians were already shown up by Germany and conceded a white-wash – a defeat without winning a single leg.
Austria – Statistics & current form
Mensur Suljovic continues to lag behind big expectations in recent weeks. The world number 29 from Austria has won only one of his last seven matches on tour. Before the World Cup opener in Frankfurt Suljovic even suffered a bitter defeat against Steve Beaton in which “The Gentle” couldn’t win a single leg.
For the first time since March 2022, when Suljovic lost 0:6 to Razma, the Austrian remained without a leg win in a match on tour. The clear result against Beaton was surprising because Suljovic had an average of 91,53 over six legs. But “The Gentle” disappointed with his throws on the doubles.
In contrast to that doubles partner Rowby John Rodriguez presented himself in a much better shape at the PC17 in Niedernhausen. The youngster won the tournament opener against Woodhouse with 6:5 and then also prevailed against Mitchell with 6:4. It was only against Nathan Aspinall that Rodriguez was eliminated from the tournament after losing 2:6.
Will the Austrians win the title this time?
At the last doubles World Cup, Suljovic and Rodriguez were undoubtedly the surprise team of the 2021 World Cup. Not only because with England, Belgium and Northern Ireland three top-class players were eliminated from the competition, but also because Austria reached a final of a doubles World Cup for the first time ever.
The World Cup fairytale only ended against Scotland. In the final, in which three singles matches and one doubles match were played, Austria started with a singles win by Suljovic against Henderson. Afterwards, however, the Scottish player duo prevailed three times in a row and won the World Championship title with an overall score of 3:1.
How far Austria’s World Cup adventure will go this year remains to be seen. In the first round, however, the well-rehearsed player duo from Austria should not have too much trouble against Finland.
Finland – Statistics & current form
Finland are among the underdogs at the 2022 World Darts Championship. In the last few years the Finnish duo had to bow out in the first round of the Darts World Cup three times in a row. Only twice in the history of the Doubles World Cup Finland prevailed in the first round. In 2013 they surprisingly even reached the semi-finals.
As in the seven previous years, the player duo for Finland will be formed by Marko Kantele. The world number 174 of the PDC will be supported by Aki Paavilainen who will take part in a World Doubles Championship for the first time in his career.
Till now Paavilainen was not yet active on the PDC Tour but played mostly only in the Scandinavian tournaments. So it is not foreseeable how the new doubles partner of Marko Kantele will perform in the tournament opener against Austria. Kantele has the necessary experience to at least make the match against Austria exciting.
Continue Kantele’s run of failures?
Marko Kantele has not won a match on tour since December 2020. The 53-year-old from Finland has suffered six defeats in his last six matches. The last time was in June 2022 when Kantele was shown up by Michael van Gerwen in the best-of-11 of the Nordic Darts Masters.
Before Kantele already lost the match against Waites 3:6 in the European Tour in Hildesheim this calendar year. Bettors who still want to back Kantele and Aki Paavilainen can pick up darts betting odds of 6.50 on the Scandinavian underdog to win the Austria vs Finland
Austria – Finland betting odds
Mensur Suljovic and Rowby John Rodriguez already made a splash at last year’s World Doubles Championship. Austria successfully prevailed against the Philippines, Belgium, Northern Ireland and England at the World Cup 2021. It was only in the final that the Austrians’ World Cup fairytale was ended by Scotland. As runners-up, Austria is now confident going into this year’s doubles World Cup.
They will once again rely on Suljovic and Rodriguez. The latter has been in top form lately, but doubles partner Suljovic has disappointed beyond measure in recent weeks. Nevertheless, Austria should not have too much trouble in the first round against Finland. After all, the Scandinavians are represented by the out-of-form Kantele and the inexperienced Paavilainen.
We dare to bet on Austria vs Finland Darts at reasonable odds on a landslide win for the Austrians with a lead of at least three legs.
