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Saturday at the World Darts Championship

By Ali Stafford

Saturday 22 December 2018 21:13, UK

WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP 2019.ALEXANDRA PALACE,.LONDON.PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG.ROUND 2.MICHAEL VAN GERWEN V ALAN TABERN.MICHAEL VAN GERWEN IN ACTION.
Image: Michael van Gerwen continues his bid for a third World Championship title against Max Hopp

The World Darts Championship reaches the third-round stage on Saturday, with world No 1 Michael van Gerwen and two-time world champion Gary Anderson both in action.

Here's what's in prospect on Saturday at the World Darts Championship...

Ryan Joyce v Alan Norris

Ryan Joyce marked his Ally Pally debut with victory over Dobromyslova
Image: Joyce followed up a 3-0 win over Dobromyslova by beating eighth seed Whitlock in straight sets

Ryan Joyce will be looking to eliminate another seed when he faces Alan Norris, having dispatched former finalist Simon Whitlock in straight sets in the previous round.

The Ally Pally debutant also didn't drop a set in his opening match of the tournament against Anastasia Dobromyslova, while Norris needed a final-leg decider to get through to this stage.

The 46-year-old, who reached the quarter-finals three years ago, survived a match dart against Steve Lennon before beating the Irishman against the darts in a sudden-death leg.

Dave Chisnall v Kim Huybrechts

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WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP 2019.ALEXANDRA PALACE,.LONDON.PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG.ROUND 2.KIM HUYBRECHTS V DANIEL LARSSON .Kim Huybrechts IN ACTION
Image: Kim Huybrechts is the only player to progress to round three without dropping a single leg

Dave Chisnall takes on Kim Huybrechts in an enthralling third-round tie, after both players impressed in their opening matches.

Chisnall lost the opening seven legs of his game against former World Youth finalist Josh Payne, but fought back magnificently to claim a memorable 3-2 victory.

Meanwhile, Huybrechts produced arguably the performance of the opening round, averaging 103.26 as he whitewashed Swedish qualifier Daniel Larsson in nine straight legs.

Daryl Gurney v Jamie Lewis

WILLIAM HILL WORLD DARTS CHAMPIONSHIP 2019.ALEXANDRA PALACE,.LONDON.PIC;LAWRENCE LUSTIG.ROUND 2 .DARYL GURNEY V ROSS SMITH.DARYL GURNEY IN ACTION
Image: Gurney defeated Michael van Gerwen to win last month's Players Championship Finals

Fifth seed Daryl Gurney rounds off the afternoon session as the Northern Irishman aims to build on his impressive start to the tournament.

The Players Championship winner only dropped two legs on his way to brushing aside Ross Smith in straight sets and setting up his last-32 meeting with Jamie Lewis.

Lewis threw away a two-set lead before claiming a final-set win over qualifier Cody Harris in the previous round, having reached the semi-final stage in last year's event.

Ryan Searle v William O'Connor

Ryan Searle - World Darts Championship
Image: Ryan Searle caused one of the biggest shocks of the tournament thus far with victory over Mensur Suljovic

The only match of the day involving two unseeded players sees Ryan Searle and William O'Connor both bid to reach the last 16 for the first time.

Searle claimed one of the shocks of the tournament as he dumped out seventh seed Mensur Suljovic 3-1 on Thursday, following on from a straight-sets win over Suffolk's Stephen Burton in the opening round.

O'Connor saw off World Grand Prix quarter-finalist James Wilson to join Searle at this stage, with the winner set to play either Michael Smith or John Henderson after Christmas.

Gary Anderson v Jermaine Wattimena

Gary Anderson of England looks on during his match against Kevin Burness of Northern Ireland during Day Two of the 2019 William Hill World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on December 14, 2018 in London, United Kingdom.
Image: Anderson is hoping to win his fourth televised major of the season

Fourth seed Gary Anderson continues his bid for a fourth World Championship final in five years when he takes on Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.

Anderson, a three-time winner in TV tournaments in 2018, recovered from a slow start to begin his title challenge with a 3-1 victory over Kevin Burness last week.

The Flying Scotsman's opponent this time around also struggled to find his A-game in round two, with the 29th seed missing 22 attempts at double during his straight-sets victory over Michael Barnard.

Michael van Gerwen v Max Hopp

Michael van Gerwen of The Netherlands celebrates beating Rob Cross of Great Britain in their semi-final at the Betway Premier League Darts Play-Offs at The O2 Arena on May 17, 2018 in London, England.
Image: Van Gerwen has won all five of his previous meetings against Max Hopp

Michael van Gerwen can move a step closer to a potential semi-final showdown with Anderson if the world No 1 defeats his German opponent in the final match of the day.

The two-time world champion overcame beer being thrown at him during the walk-on to post a 102.59 average and claim a 3-1 victory over Alan Tabern in the second round, as Hopp kicked off his tournament by beating Danny Noppert in straight sets.

Victory for Van Gerwen would see him reach the last 16 for the eighth consecutive year, while Hopp - a European Championship semi-finalist in October - has never reached that stage in his five previous Ally Pally appearances.

You can follow every dart from every session of the World Darts Championships on Sky Sports Darts, check out the full schedule here. You can also stay up to date with all the action behind the scenes by following us @SkySportsDarts and get all the latest news, previews and interviews by heading to www.skysports.com/darts

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