Darts guru Ben Levene (@benlevene96) looks ahead to day five of the 2018 World Matchplay from Winter Gardens.
Mensur Suljovic v Ian White | Wednesday 25th July 2018, 21:00 | Sky Sports
On Wednesday Mensur Suljovic meets Ian White, and the Gentle has every reason to be confident. The odds-on Austrian has won all five previous meetings with Stoke showman on stage along with three on the bounce across all formats.
Ian ‘Diamond’ White is amongst the tours finest on the floor but has failed to ever bring that to the stage. He showcased some of ability when firing eight maximum’s en-route a 10-7 victory against Max Hopp.
White averaged a decent 93 on Sunday, but he missed 31 darts at double. Any repeat will see Mensur gobble up chances.
Suljovic had no issues silencing Steve Beaton, who he had previously lost all eight previous matches against.
The length Matchplay format allows both players to have spells, as maintaining a level throughout is a tough ask. But Suljovic is one of few players capable of staying consistent.
He’s thrived at the Champions League of Darts and on the World Series, and performed commendably at the Masters which also takes the long leg-play format.
It’s 11/10 that Mensur wins while awarding Ian White a 2.5 leg start, and that can be backed this Wednesday.
The awkward Austrian should prove to consistent against an Ian White who is not all comfortable on stage.
Peter Wright v Kim Huybrechts | Wednesday 25th July, 23:00 | Sky Sports
Peter Wright eased past a poor Jelle Klaasen without having to do very much. Snakebite averaged 89 and did little to change my opinion that he is vulnerable at the minute.
Wright is a shadow of the player who reached the final here 12-months ago.
Like Klaasen, Kim Huybrechts was dropped from the Premier League but that is where the comparisons end.
The Hurricane can go one better against Snakebite.
Huybrechts showed a lot of bottle when beating John Henderson in a last-leg decider. The gutsy Belgian broke his Blackpool curse in doing so and was playing with the grit and edge that saw him compete amongst the elite not long ago.
Kim beat Wright on stage in their last meeting back in May. In fact, he’s won the last two stage meetings between the duo.
At 3/1 I’m more than happy to take a chance on an upset this Wednesday.
Best Bets
Mensur Suljovic v Ian White – Mensur Suljovic -2.5 legs (11/10 Coral)
Peter Wright v Kim Huybrechts – Kim Huybrechts to win (3/1 Betfred)
