It is going to take a monumental effort for anyone to beat Luke Littler in the form the defending Champion has produced this week and you have to imagine he is going to be entering the remaining World Ranking events as a short price favourite.
We are not quite at the Phil Taylor level of dominating and that is largely down to what Luke Humphries can produce, but we are getting closer and closer to those kind of outright prices. The more Luke Littler continues to win the big TV tournaments, the more people are going to have him down as a strong favourite to win any event he enters.
This week there is no Humphries in the draw to try and slow down the momentum that Luke Littler has picked up at major events- his record in longer format matches is quite simply ridiculous and Littler is going to be a big favourite to win a third straight World Championship later in the year and into the early part of 2027.
On Friday we will be a step closer to seeing who may eventually be standing opposed to Luke Littler in any Final as the bottom half as the two Quarter Final matches scheduled.
Both have a huge amount of potential on paper, but darts are still played up on a stage and it is all about which of the players can hold themselves together the best on the night.
The one disadvantage for those in the bottom half is that there are no more rest days between matches and that does mean a bit more pressure to avoid being dragged into a slog of a contest to drain energy ahead of the weekend.
Ross Smith-Gerwyn Price both over 7.5 180s & 1+ 100+ checkout: It was Ross Smith standing behind Cameron Menzies and helping his fellow professional out when the Scot fainted and felt very ill in the Second Round.
Ultimately that led to a withdrawal and Smith made it through to the Quarter Final after playing just three Legs.
He had shown he was feeling pretty good having thrown three maximums in that time on the stage, but this is going to be a different test for Ross Smith in the last eight. This time Ross Smith may feel like the underdog and under some pressure to deliver the big scoring to try and stay with Gerwyn Price in what is only the second meeting in two years.
Of course Ross Smith should take a lot of confidence from the fact that he beat Gerwyn Price 11-9 here two years ago, but he is going to have to be better for longer in this Quarter Final format.
Ross Smith can do that and he is very capable of delivering at least eight maximums and one big checkout during the course of this match.
At the same time, Ross Smith will be well aware that the Gerwyn Price that crushed Rob Cross in the Second Round looked to be in much better form than the one that scraped through the First Round against Martin Schindler.
The scoring was much better in the Second Round and Gerwyn Price also showed composure with his doubles and that is why he is set as the favourite in this match.
However, it is expected to be a close one with the sole meeting this year ending in a Price 8-6 win on the European Tour as he picked up another title. He can match those numbers that are expected of Ross Smith in what is expected to be a competitive match right to the end and one in which we are focusing on the stats rather than trying to pick a winner.
Gian van Veen 2+ 100+ checkouts & over 26.5 total legs v James Wade: These two players produced a very good Quarter Final at the World Matchplay twelve months ago, which was eventually won 16-13 by James Wade, but Gian van Veen will feel he was the better player on the day.
After rallying to beat Wessel Nijman, Gian van Veen will be a slight favourite to get the better of James Wade in the 2026 Quarter Final, although the Dutchman will be aware that he needs to lift his level.
Recent weeks has seen the form fluctuate and that will not get the job done against someone like James Wade who is playing some top class darts.
Despite what he may have said himself, James Wade put together a really good performance to see off Ryan Searle in the Second Round and averaged just shy of triple digits. That is a level that will make things very difficult for any player, barring perhaps Luke Littler, and James Wade has always enjoyed playing at this venue and at this tournament.
Nothing will come easy for either player, but the expectation is that Gian van Veen is going to have to continue to find some big finishes to keep himself pushing forward in this Quarter Final.
He has five 100+ checkouts already in the tournament and the combination finishing remains a real strength for Gian van Veen.
James Wade is never going to go away easily and especially not at this tournament so we should see both players reach at least eleven Legs each and putting this selection together does offer up a decent price without having to back either player to win in what should be another close, competitive Quarter Final.
MY PICKS: Ross Smith-Gerwyn Price Both Over 7.5 180s & 1+ 100+ Checkout @ 2.25 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Gian van Veen 2+ 100+ Checkouts & Over 26.5 Total Legs @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
World Matchplay: 10-13, - 1.80 Units (23 Units Staked, - 7.82% Yield)
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