[b]Jaymes Monte picks out his best bet as the tournament is blown wide open following Taylor's exit...[/b]
John Part said before this tournament that he still believes that he has another World Championship title in his locker. Now that Phil Taylor is out of the equation that possibility is not as farfetched as it maybe once seemed. Not that The Power's presence would have intimidated Darth Maple, at his best the Canadian still is as good as anyone in the world.
He hasn't shown his best in this tournament so far, but is displaying the upward trend in form that is required to win a world title. And Part would know.
On the two occasions that Part has won the PDC World Championship title, he has beaten Kevin Painter in the semi-final. This time he'll need to do so at the last-16...
Justin Pipe was forced to watch one of Terry Jenkins' greatest 15 minutes before finally exiting the Grand Slam of Darts last night, with 'The Bull' prevailing over James Wade 5-3 to knock Pipe out. Raymond Van Barneveld also left the building after another under-par performance, losing 5-2 against Dean Winstanley. I can't, however, see many surprises happening tonight, but there are a few decent-priced certainties to get your teeth into.
Steve Beaton, for example, faces James Hubbard needing a win to qualify for the knockout stage. Hubbard, while far from disgracing himself in defeat to Taylor and King, hasn't really ever looked like winning and he hasn't posted a single maximum so far. His 5-3 defeat to King would have been a lot heavier had King converted more of his many chances ...