By Harry Eddolls
Saturday night saw quarter-final action at the Grand Slam of Darts in Wolverhampton. Four players arrived, but only two would remain to take their place in cup collection Sunday.
QUARTER FINAL 1: DANNY NOPPERT vs LUKAS WENIG
The first game of the night saw Dutchman Danny Noppert playing in his first Grand Slam quarter-final against German Lukas Wenig, who had made this stage on his major tournament debut.
It was Wenig who struck first, a 130 out seeing him take the opening leg. Noppert then got himself into the game by holding and breaking to put himself 2-1 up. That break from The Freeze began a run of three straight breaks in the match, which when over saw the Dutchman take a slender 3-2 lead into the first break.
The second session of the match began with three straight holds of throw, which included a 116 out from Noppert in leg eight, which he backed up in leg nine with another ton plus out, this time a 140, to break and leave him three legs ahead. Wenig would have the final say in the session however, as he broke straight back in leg ten to reduce the deficit to 6-4.
Up until this point, Wenig had kept within a close distance of his opponent in the match. This wouldn’t last in the next session though, as Noppert roared to five straight legs, leaving him 11-4 up and in a commanding position heading into the third break.
Wenig would end his opponents run of legs in spectacular fashion in leg 16, reeling in the big fish 170 out to break throw. It all went downhill in the session for the German from there, as The Freeze took the remaining four legs, putting himself 15-5 up and within a leg of yet another major semi-final.
Wenig wouldn’t lay down without a fight. He took leg 21 with a 104 out, before consolidating that with a break and another ton plus out, a 129 this time, before he held again to reduce his deficit to 15-8. His run wouldn’t last however, as Noppert held in leg 24 to secure a 16-8 victory which put him into his fifth major semi-final of the year, and his first ever at the Grand Slam.
QUARTER FINAL 2: LUKE LITTLER vs JOSH ROCK
The second and final game of the evening saw the world champion face the World Cup champion, as Luke Littler clashed with Josh Rock.
The game began with a trade of holds, before a trade of breaks left the game locked at 2-2. Rock then kept his composure on throw in the fifth leg, to see himself into the lead at the first break.
The next session was regulation, with five straight holds in a row which left the match level at five a piece going into the second break.
The trade of holds dragged to a grand total of eight at the start of the next session, before a break was finally found by Rock, and he consolidated with a hold in leg 15, to see him into a 9-6 lead at the third break.
As Littler has showed countless times however, he is never out of a match, and he showed it again in the fourth session. He steamed to all five legs to see himself go from three legs down to two in front at 11-9.
The Nuke kept his run of legs going to seven at the start of the final session, to put himself three legs away from another semi-final. Rock ended his run of legs in leg 24 by breaking, and that began a run of four straight breaks of throw which left the world champion a leg away.
He kept his composure on throw in the next leg, to keep his perfect Grand Slam record alive with a 16-12 victory, and set up a clash against the evenings other winner Danny Noppert in the semi-final, a game which will see The Nuke become world number one for the first time if he can win it.