Gerwyn Price put in a dominant display this week to retain the Grand Slam of Darts title and land an 11/1 winner for our followers. Here’s how the week panned out for ‘The Iceman’ …
Group Stage
Our preview highlighted that Gerwyn Price had been handed a decent draw in this year’s Grand Slam, and so it turned out. He won his first match against the BDO Women’s Champion, Mikuru Suzuki, without really playing his best, and followed it up with a hard fought 5-4 victory over Robert Thornton. ‘The Iceman’ began to hit top gear in his third group game, as he averaged 97 in a 5-2 victory over Dimitri van den Bergh.
Round Two
With three wins Price finished top of Group C, and faced the runner-up of Group D, Darren Webster, in the second round. This was a potential banana skin for the Welshman, but Webster never really showed up in the match. Price averaged nearly 100 in the match, and only allowed Webster three darts at a double as he cruised to a 10-1 victory.
Quarter-final
In a repeat of the final from twelve months previous, Price faced Gary Anderson for only the second time since their infamous tussle in the 2018 Grand Slam. Anderson had admitted to feeling nervous on the Wolverhampton stage in the early rounds, and started the quarter-final in poor fashion, losing the opening five legs to Price. In the first to 16 leg encounter, Price then took a dominant 8-2 lead at the second break, only for Anderson to stage a mini comeback to trail 9-6 at the third break. Anderson missed opportunities to close the gap further, and Price pounced on them, as he upped his game and eventually ran out a comfortable 16-9 winner.
Semi-final
Price went into his semi-final with Michael van Gerwen as the outsider, which was no surprise considering he hadn’t beaten the Dutchman in 18 previous encounters. But Price got off to another quick start, leading the World Number One 4-1 at the first break, and then 6-4 at the second break. Van Gerwen got the game back to 9-9, but ‘The Iceman’ found another gear, and deservedly booked his place in the final, eventually running out a 16-12 winner.
The final
Price went into the final against Peter Wright as the marginal favourite, but completely blew his Scottish opponent away in a one-sided final. Price took out 100 in the opening leg of the match to break the Wright throw, and although ‘Snakebite’ was still in the game at the first break, his average was far lower than the Welshman. By the second break Price had opened up a 7-3 lead, thanks to some excellent scoring and impressive finishing. Wright pulled a couple of legs back to reduce his deficit but from then on ‘The Iceman’ completely dominated the match. Price won eight straight legs as his superior performance was reflected in the scoreline, and although Wright won the 21st leg, Price completed a 16-6 victory on double-5 to defend the title he won 12 months ago. Our winner finished the final with a hugely impressive 108 average and hit eleven 180s, and looks in great form as we build up to the World Championships next month.
Free Darts Predictions
With less than a month to go before the World Championships, this latest winner comes at just the right time. Before then, the Players Championship Finals get underway on Friday, and you can follow our Free Darts Predictions page of the website for all of our tips throughout the tournament!
