'The Wizard' was back to his best on the Dublin oche as he conquered Mensur Suljovic
Saturday 7 October 2017 00:02, UK
Simon Whitlock edged past in-form Mensur Suljovic to reach his first TV major final since 2012, but he was forced to nail some monster checkouts.
The Australian ace crashed in a 144, 111, a 109, and a 101 on his way to a thrilling 4-3 semi-final win over the recent Champions League of Darts winner on Friday night.
Whitlock, who lost out to Phil Taylor in the 2012 Premier League final, has had some ups and downs in recent years, but now appears to be back at the top of the tungsten ladder again.
"I'm stoked with that," said Whitlock, who hit four ton-plus checkouts during his victory. "I was gone there but I dug deep to find something special to win that last set.
"I've been working on a lot of things, not just mentally, but physically. I've being doing all sorts of things at home during practice and it's paying off finally.
"Mensur is so good and I still don't know how I won that. The 144 was huge for me. When I was 3-1 up I lost control. I panicked a bit and then suddenly I found some good darts - I just had to dig deep and I luckily pulled it out."
Whitlock was also delighted to book his place in next month's Grand Slam of Darts at Wolverhampton Civic Hall - live on Sky Sports.
"I've been in and out of the Grand Slam for the last two months, but it means a lot more me. I also want to be back in the Premier League where I belong - I have got a lot more to offer. I'm a different player again."
The biggest names in darts are competing at Dublin's Citywest Hotel for the 2017 World Grand Prix and you can watch all the action from Saturday's final with us only on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event from 8pm.
Who will win the World Grand Prix Darts at Dublin's Citywest Hotel this year? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting us @SkySportsDarts so follow us on Twitter & use #LoveTheDarts
