PDC World Matchplay Darts - PDC World Matchplay Darts
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by Steve Ashfield | in PDC World Matchplay Darts Predictions
Ninth seed James Wade put in an excellent performance in round one of the World Matchplay Darts Championship. 'The Machine' will hope to continue his good form when taking on unseeded Wesel Nijman. Here's our match prediction.
Wade averaged 104.44 in his 10-3 first round win over Joe Cullen on Sunday evening. This match is being played over the best of 21 legs. The winner will be up against either 16th seed Danny Noppert or Gian van Veen in the quarter-finals.
One Players' Championship has been won by Wade this year. The 42-year-old was also the losing finalist in this year's UK Open. It's 18 years since he won this tournament but was a semi-finalist last year with five other finals reached in Blackpool.
In contrast, Wessel Nijman is making his debut in this prestigious tournament. The Dutchman has had his problems in the past but has bounced back well after serving a match-fixing ban. This year has seen the Dutchman get to a couple of semi-finals in Players' Championship and European Tour events.
Round one saw Nijman cause a surprise when he beat the eighth-seeded Nathan Aspinall with a 101.72 average. He's yet to reach a quarter-final in a top televised PDC event and we tip Wade to win this.
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Wessel Nijman - James Wade Key Points
- Wade recorded a 104.44 average in round one.
- Wade has won this title once and lost in five finals.
- Nijman is making his debut in this tournament.
- Nijman has never got as far as a quarter-final in the top PDC televised tournaments.
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Our Wessel Nijman vs James Wade Prediction
James Wade was on fire on Sunday when beating Joe Cullen in the first round. He has an excellent record in this tournament and a win here will take him into his 13th World Matchplay Darts quarter-final. The 2025 UK Open finalist will be out to again hit a three-figure average.
He might need to do that as Nijman also scored heavily in what was his debut in this tournament. Nijman has never gone deep in a major PDC televised tournament. Our Wessel Nijman v James Wade prediction is James Wade to win.
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
