Teenage sensation Lex Paeshuyse delivered a statement performance on Thursday afternoon at the Lakeside as the quarter-finals in the Men’s and Women’s World Championships took shape.
Paeshuyse powers past Laumanis to reach last four
13-year-old wonderkid Lex Paeshuyse continued where he left off at the Boys World Masters, dominating Ralfs Laumanis on his Lakeside debut to reach the Boys semi-finals.
Paeshuyse opened the match with a 92 out and promptly followed it with further legs in 15 and 17 darts to take the first set 3-0.
Latvia’s Laumanis got on the board in the second, holding throw twice, but he was unable to convert set darts and that allowed Paeshuyse to pin an 18-darter for the win.
The Belgian finished with a 92.81 average and will return on Saturday to face either Kendji Steinbach or Archie Self in the semi-finals.
De Graaf ousts Ouchi to reach quarter-finals
Last year’s finalist Aileen de Graaf made a winning return to the Lakeside stage, defeating Mayumi Ouchi 2-0 to reach the Women’s World Championship quarter-finals.
Ouchi hit the highest checkout of the match in the first set, an 82, but the set went the way of the Dutch ace who took it 3-1.
Set two went all the way to the deciding leg, Ouchi levelling it at 2-2 with a 16-darter, only for de Graaf to hit a 16-darter of her win to seal a straight sets triumph.
De Graaf is the third Dutch woman through to the last eight after the success of compatriots Aletta Wajer and Lerena Rietbergen on Wednesday.
Brandon motors through the gears to dump out Gijbels
Jason Brandon delivered another impressive performance in his debut Lakeside campaign, thrashing Sybren Gijbels in straight sets to reach the Men’s quarter-finals.
The American dropped just one leg in his opening win over Hannes Schnier and his meeting with Belgium’s plucky Sybren Gijbels started the same way, Brandon taking the first set 3-0 with 96 and 124 outs.
Gijbels got on the board in set two, but all five legs went with throw and that meant Brandon doubled his advantage going into the break.
The Belgian took the first leg after they returned to the stage but it was one-way traffic for the Tennessee man after that, Brandon winning the next three legs in 48 darts to seal a 3-0 victory with an 87.68 average.
Junghans scraps past Wilkinson to reach maiden quarter-final
Thomas Junghans has gone one step further than he managed in 2023, defeating Carl Wilkinson in a five-set tussle to reach the quarter-finals.
‘TJ’ opened the match with a 70 checkout but a scrappy first set went the way of England’s ‘Wilky’, who took out 25 to win it 3-2.
Wilkinson also won the first leg of the second set before Junghans found his mojo, taking out 78 and 85 on the way to taking it 3-1.
Those checkouts were part of what was ultimately a seven-leg burst from the Swiss, who won the third set 3-0 and opened the fourth with a 14-darter. Wilkinson stopped the rot with a two-dart 94 finish and ultimately kept the match alive by pinning 50 in the set’s deciding leg.
Despite finding a 107 finish in set five, Wilkinson was outscored by Junghans, who produced a 50 out of his own to take the set 3-1 and the match 3-2.
Junghans will return to the stage on Friday afternoon to face Belgium’s Francois Schweyen.
Machin beats Prior to keep Aussie hopes alive
The last Australian left in this year’s World Championship, Peter Machin kept Aussie hopes alive with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Cliff Prior.
England’s Prior looked improved from his opening win over Scott Walters as he took the first set 3-2, pinning a 138 finish before sealing it with a 13-darter.
From there, it was all ‘Machie’ though. The experienced Australian only lost more leg after that first set, winning nine of the last 10 with finishes of 97, 112, and 113 along the way.
There were also three maximums for the former World Trophy winner, who faces Shane McGuirk for a spot in the last four.
Photos: Chris Sargeant/Tip Top Pics
