Terry Jenkins and Ronnie Baxter reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay after beating Adrian Lewis and Justin Pipe respectively.
World champion and rising star bow out in quarters
Terry Jenkins and Ronnie Baxter reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay on Friday after beating Adrian Lewis and Justin Pipe respectively.
Two-time finalist Jenkins knocked out world champion Lewis 16-12, while Baxter reached his first semi-final for three years with a 16-11 win over rising star Pipe.
Jenkins hit ten 180s to Lewis' nine during a see-saw contest and also hit 121 finishes in successive legs in mid-game before breaking the deadlock at 11-all by winning five of the final six legs.
"I got off to a good start and then went to sleep a little bit, but it was a good match," said Jenkins, who has already beaten Kim Huybrechts and Raymond van Barneveld in the tournament.
"The two 121s gave me a bit of confidence and I think that changed the match a bit because they made Adrian think a bit and made him realise I was up for it.
Pleased
"It made him try a little bit harder in the second half, and he's a tough player to beat so I'm really pleased to win that."
Pipe, who was appearing in the last eight of a televised event for the first time, played his part in another thriller by sharing the 16 180s which were hit during the game, but Baxter's mid-game surge into a 14-7 lead proved too much for the Taunton thrower to overcome.
"It's great to be back in the semi-finals," said Baxter. "I've dropped from sixth down to 20 and it's been a hard slog for the last 18 months but my form's getting back there.
"My finishing was good and I stayed focused on my game. I began to miss a few doubles but I held on for that one good leg and I got there in the end."
