Anderson challenges Wright: semi-final with finals character?
The quarter-finals couldn’t have gone any better in last night’s session at the Ally Pally. Especially the match between Callan Rydz and Peter Wright had it all, after all the semi-final ticket for “Snakebite” Wright was hard fought. The world number two from Scotland only prevailed in the all deciding ninth set against the youngster from England.
But with the 5:4 Wright also made a clear statement at the World Championship 2022 and is now – especially after Gerwyn Price’s quarterfinal exit – the hottest candidate for the prestigious world title. In the semi-finals now the Scottish showdown is on the agenda where Wright will meet his fellow countryman Gary Anderson
In contrast to Peter Wright Gary Anderson got with a clear 5:2 against Luke Humphries the ticket for the semi-finals. Compared to the rounds before there was a clear improvement in performance. Nevertheless, the best bookmakers see the “Flying Scotsman” as the underdog in the Wright vs Anderson match according to the betting odds.
Surprising as Gary Anderson won the last two matches between the two star players from Scotland. The last time was in July 2021, when the flying Scot won 6:2 against “Snakebite” Wright – a good omen before the World Championship clash in the Ally Pally?
Peter Wright – Statistics & current form
Peter Wright mastered the quarterfinal thriller against Callan Rydz. With the high average his opponent played a surprise in the Ally Pally could not be excluded. But in the decisive moments Wright kept his nerve – in contrast to his English opponent – and fought his way back into the match.
After his brilliant performance in the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Darts Championship Peter Wright is now the hottest candidate for the title. Among others the assessment is confirmed with the latest statistics of “Snakebite”: Against Rydz the world number two from Scotland not only had an average of 99.75 but also threw a total of 17 times the 180 in the match.
With that Wright set a new individual best in the Ally Pally. Never before Wright threw more 180s in a World Championship match. If this is continued, it is obvious that a bet on Wright vs. Anderson at odds of 1.53 on “Snakebite” will pay off.
Wright on his way to a second World Championship title?
The last time Wright reached the final of a World Darts Championship was two years ago, when “Snakebite” also managed a title coup. Because the 51-year-old plays a strong tournament so far and won the Players Championship Finals before the World Championship in the Ally Pally, it is not excluded that Wright will win the second World Championship title of his current career this year.
Snakebite” has won ten matches in a row and is unbeaten since the defeat in the final of the Grand Slam 2021. Although the Scot recently lost two matches in a row to his compatriot, the recent record should not be overstated. Indeed, Wright had previously won six of eight matches against Anderson between 2019 and 2021.
Last matches of Peter Wright:
World Darts Championship
01/02 2022 – Peter Wright 6 – 4 Gary Anderson
01/01 2022 – Peter Wright 5 – 4 Callan Rydz
12/30 2021 – Peter Wright 4 – 1 Ryan Searle
12/28 2021 – Peter Wright 4 – 2 Damon Heta
12/17 2021 – Peter Wright 3 – 0 Ryan Meikle
Gary Anderson – Statistics & current form
In the round of the last 32 “The Flying Scotsman” narrowly missed a defeat. Since then, the 51-year-old has been brimming with confidence. After all Gary Anderson eliminated Rob Cross, a secret favourite, from the 2022 World Championship. In the last round there was a clear win against Luke Humphries.
The sixth of the world ranking only had to lose two sets in the best-of-9. Nevertheless, the victory was hard-fought. “The Flying Scotsman” had a checkout rate of only 33.33 % throughout the quarterfinals. Four of the five sets Anderson won against Humphries were only played out in the all-decisive fifth leg.
So it would be more than daring to make a prediction on “The Flying Scotsman” in the match between the strong Wright vs. Encouraging for Gary Anderson in the run-up to the semi-final clash is only the recent record against his compatriot. The 51 year old won three of the last four matches against Peter Wright.
Will Gary Anderson fight his way into another World Championship final?
The last time the two players met in a World Championship there was a 6:3 win for Gary Anderson in the semi-finals of the 2017 World Championship. In the following final “The Flying Scotsman” missed his third World Championship title in a row. Before that Gary Anderson had won the title in the World Championships 2015 and 2016.
That the 51 year old still belongs to the top players of the PDC is not only shown by his ranking but also by his result in the last World Championship. After all Gary Anderson was represented in the final of the World Championship 2021 where “The Flying Scotsman” only narrowly missed his third World Championship title against Gerwyn Price.
Last matches of Gary Anderson:
World Darts Championship
01/02 2022 – Peter Wright 6 – 4 Gary Anderson
01/01 2022 – Luke Humphries 2 – 5 Gary Anderson
12/30 2021 – Gary Anderson 4 – 3 Rob Cross
12/29 2021 – Gary Anderson 4 – 3 Ian White
12/16 2021 – Gary Anderson 3 – 1 Adrian Lewis
Peter Wright – Gary Anderson Direct comparison / H2H record
For the 36th time Peter Wright and Gary Anderson will meet. So far the direct comparison between the two Scotsmen is even. Both players have 16 wins on their account, three other matches ended with a draw in the Premier League. But if you look at the results of the last four matches, Gary Anderson has the lead.
“The Flying Scotsman has won three of the last four matches against his compatriot since the draw in February 2020. Last year the world number six prevailed among others in the Premier League with 8:3 and in the Players Championship 19 with 6:2 against Peter Wright. In April 2021 Wright defeated Anderson 7:4
Peter Wright – Gary Anderson Tip
Peter Wright is on course for his second World Championship title. After strong performances in the last 16 and quarter-finals of the 2022 World Championship, “Snakebite” is the hottest candidate for the world title at the Ally Pally. The semi-final against his compatriot is in a way already a match with final character, after all Gary Anderson already won the World Championship title twice in his career.
As both players are playing at the highest level, the form of the day will be decisive on Sunday evening. The checkout ratio between the two players will be decisive. In view of that especially Peter Wright made a good impression in the last World Championship round and kept his nerves in the decisive moments.
If “Snakebite” takes the recent momentum into the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championship, it is obvious that the world number two will enter the final. With a bet of six units, we place our bet on Wright vs. Anderson at odds of 1.83 on a handicap win for “Snakebite” with at least a two-set lead.
