Gerwyn Price aims for his ‘unbeatable’ best in Wolverhampton

Day Five of the £650,000 event will see four second round ties take place on a blockbuster night at the Aldersley Leisure Village, with three World Champions bidding to seal quarter-final spots.

Price has won all three Grand Slam events staged at the Wolverhampton venue, and he faces UK Open champion Danny Noppert in the last 16, as he bids to lift a fourth Eric Bristow Trophy.

Despite posting three ton-plus averages in the round-robin phase, the Welshman came perilously close to an early exit, with Dave Chisnall spurning two match darts to eliminate him on Monday night.

However, Price produced the goods in a thrilling finale to continue his bid for a third televised title of 2022, firing in a 12-darter to keep his Grand Slam dream alive.

The world number one could renew his rivalry with Raymond van Barneveld in the quarter-finals following the pair’s epic clash in the Group Stages, but Price is refusing to look too far ahead.

“My only focus is on Danny, and if I get through that it doesn’t matter whether it’s Simon [Whitlock] or Raymond, because they’re both playing well,” insisted the three-time Grand Slam champion.

“It is testament to my game that I’m giving players opportunities and I can still come through it, so when I sharpen up on my game I think I’m pretty much unbeatable.”

Elsewhere, former World Cup partners Michael Smith and Rob Cross will collide in a mouth-watering last 16 tussle, after Cross scraped past Martin Schindler in a dramatic Group D shoot-out on Monday.

Smith, meanwhile, stormed through to the knockout stages with a 100% record in Group C, and the world number four is now eyeing a place in a fourth straight Grand Slam quarter-final.

“I want to win every game and that’s the mentality I’ve got,” claimed the St Helens star, who has won a record-breaking consecutive 16 games in the Grand Slam Group Stages.

“This is one of my favourite tournaments and I want to keep my good record here going, but Rob Cross is a World Champion for a reason, so it doesn’t get any easier.”

Wednesday’s opening last 16 tie will see 2012 champion Van Barneveld take on World Cup winner Simon Whitlock – a semi-finalist at this event two years ago.

Van Barneveld rolled back the years to seal top spot in Group A, defeating Price, 2014 runner-up Chisnall and World Youth Champion Ted Evetts to progress in style.

“I really believe I can do this and I’ve shown that I can,” said the five-time World Champion, who is through to the last 16 in Wolverhampton for the first time since 2017.

“Everybody knows an in-form Ray van Barneveld is hard work to beat. If it doesn’t work, we work harder. The belief is always there, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Van Barneveld and Whitlock are the oldest players left in this year’s field, and the Australian veteran has also impressed, winning two of his three round-robin games to advance from Group B.

“I think I deserved to get through, but it was absolute torture waiting to see if I’d done it,” admitted Whitlock, who averaged 99 and hit six 180s in his decisive clash against Christian Perez.

“Raymond is a five-time World Champion. He is still very, very good and he can beat anyone on his day, a bit like myself, so it’s going to be a great match.”

In the evening’s finale, Masters champion Joe Cullen takes on Dirk van Duijvenbode, who claimed three consecutive wins in Group D to reach the last 16 for the first time in his career.

The Dutchman – a finalist at the World Series of Darts Finals in September – has also scooped two Pro Tour titles in 2022, although he believes there is still more to come.

“I’m delighted with my results but not my performances. I know I can do a lot better,” said Van Duijvenbode, who defeated Cross, Martin Schindler and Adam Gawlas in the round-robin phase.

“I know there is more in the tank and I want to make at least the quarter-finals of every TV event, so that is my goal.”

Cullen survived a scare in reaching the last 16, recovering from 3-1 down to defeat four-time Women’s World Champion Lisa Ashton in his final Group C tussle on Monday.

“It feels like a new tournament starting now, so I’m going to put the Group Stage behind me and go again on Wednesday,” reflected Cullen, who is targeting a second TV title of 2022.

“Dirk is a great guy. I spend a lot of time with him and I’m looking forward to it. It should be a fantastic game.”

The second round action draws to a close on Thursday night, as three-time champion Michael van Gerwen continues his bid for a first Grand Slam crown since 2017.