Callan Rydz had a fabulous run to the quarter-final here last year, but he's failed to replicate that form this season and comes to Ally Pally with a few question marks over his form.
He's had just one semi-final all year, and that was at the start of the season in PC03. However, his record here is solid, with two quarter-finals in six appearances, and he's been handed a kind draw to kickstart his 7th PDC World Championship.
Patrik Kovaks has qualified for his Ally Pally debut after winning the Hungarian Super League. He has previous experience playing in the WDF World Championship, but failed to win a set in his two appearances.
This match is all about how quickly Rydz settles, and for me, with this draw, he should feel pretty comfortable going into today, and a 3-0 win looks likely.
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| Min. Deposit | £10 |
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| Max. Amount | £40 |
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| Expiration | 7 days |
Ryan Joyce returns for his 8th appearance at Ally Pally, and has good memories here, after running Luke Littler mighty close in last year's 4th round. Joyce has had another solid season, with the highlight being a quarter-final run at the European Championship.
Owen Bates has qualified for his second PDC World Championship appearance via the Development tour, where he won two titles this year. In his first appearance in 2024, he lost in round one after being 2-0 up against Steve Lennon, so it will be interesting to see how he handles it this afternoon.
Ryan Joyce is one of the steadiest and most underrated players on tour, and he always seems to enjoy playing at Ally Pally. He's tough to beat, and I think he will come through this match unscathed.
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|---|---|
| Max. Amount | £40 |
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| Expiration | 7 days |
Jermaine Wattimena appears to be a genuine outsider in this year's World Championship, following his fantastic run to the semi-finals of the Players Championship Finals last month.
The Dutchman looks set to crack the top 16 in the World Rankings with a run here, and he should have no problem getting past Dominik Grullich today.
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Dave Chisnall's TV form has been poor over the last 18 months, and he could have done without this draw, considering he's defending a quarter-final on his rankings from 2 years ago.
Chizzy has fallen to 21st in the world, and if he's not careful, he could be out of the top 32 in the not-so-distant future.
The Queen of the Palace returns for her 6th appearance here, but she has failed to win a match since her iconic debut in 2020.
Fallon has remained competitive, though, winning at least a set in every appearance, but she has failed to replicate the same form that took her to the third round five years ago.
Chisnall will be under huge pressure tonight; he's not playing well at all, and the crowd will no doubt be on Sherrock's side.
Fallon has always been a power scorer, and if she does that early, this match could go the distance, so for that reason, she should have more than enough time to fire in maximums.
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|---|---|
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| Expiration | 28 days |
These two met in last year's World Championship second round, with the Polish Eagle winning 3-1. It was a fantastic match, though with both players hitting five 180s each and averaging over 95.
The pace of Toylo has been a big talking point in all of his TV appearances, but Ratajski handled it really well last year, and if there's one player on tour who it won't bother, it's certainly him.
Ratajski has played well this season and looks to have found some good form, so I expect a similar result to last year's match between the pair.
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| Min. Deposit | £5 |
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| Max. Amount | £30 |
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| Expiration | 30 days |
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| Expiration | 30 days |
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| Expiration | 7 Days |
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| Expiration | 7 days |
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| Expiration | 7 days |
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| Max. Amount | £20 |
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| Expiration | 7 days |
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
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| Max. Amount | £40 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 7 days |
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
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| Max. Amount | £30 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 7 days |
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
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| Max. Amount | £30 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 7 days |
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
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| Max. Amount | £30 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 7 days |
| Min. Deposit | £10 |
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| Max. Amount | £60 |
| Turnover | No wagering |
| Expiration | 28 days |

James is a former professional dart player who enjoys writing about darts, golf and football. In 2012, he was crowned the PDC World Youth Champion and these days, he puts his expertise to use with betting tips for BettingLounge readers.