Raymond van Barneveld opens up on 'satisfying' World Darts Championship second-round win
- Planet Sport writer
- 23 December 2023
Raymond van Barneveld produced a superb performances to progress to round three at the Paddy Power World Darts Championship on Friday.
The penultimate day of action before the Christmas break saw eight second round ties take place at Alexandra Palace, as 2007 champion Van Barneveld made a winning return to the capital.
The Dutch legend – roared on by a partisan crowd – averaged 99.81 and pinned 11 of his 20 darts at double to defeat Polish debutant Radek Szaganski 3-1 in a high-quality affair.
Szaganski won the game’s opening leg, before Van Barneveld reeled off six without reply to assume control, wrapping up the opener with an 11-darter, and landing 86 and 104 checkouts to maintain his charge.
The spirited Szaganski followed up a 118 outshot with 15 and 13-dart legs to stay afloat in set three, but Van Barneveld kept his poise in a high-quality fourth set, sealing the deal with a two-dart 80 kill.
“I’m really satisfied with that performance,” admitted Van Barneveld, who will play Peter Wright’s conqueror Jim Williams for a place in the last 16.
“Radek won a ProTour a few months ago, so I was warned. I knew it was going to be a tough game, but there was a lot of pressure on me tonight, so I’m really happy.
“The Ally Pally is what it’s all about. You can’t compare this tournament with any other; this is the one that every player wants to win.”
Photo Credit: PDC
