He has done it again!
Team Unicorn’s Dimitri van den Bergh dazzled and danced his way into the quarter-finals of the World Championship for the first time.
Dimitri demolished No.5 seed Mensur Suljovic by four sets to nil in under an hour on Thursday afternoon at the Alexandra Palace.
He will now play Rob Cross in those quarter-finals.
“I am very excited. I did what I had to do against a very good player. To reach a World Championship quarter-final is amazing for me,” he said.
“I felt calm and in control after winning the first set. Mensur missed his chances and I took mine. I have been dreaming about moments like this.”
It really was an outstanding performance from the PDC Unicorn World Youth Champion, who has now very definitely made the big step up to the big time.
He started the match with a 120 finish to break the Suljovic throw and took the opening set with ease. Then came two 180s and the Team Unicorn starlet eventually doubled his lead as he won set two on D1.
The third set was the clincher for the young Belgian. Suljovic missed two darts to take it and Van den Bergh pounced. He pounded in another maximum and after the Austrian had missed another dart for the set, Dimitri stepped in. Cool as you like, he nailed a superb 64 finish with two darts and it was all but over.
He started the fourth set with six perfect darts to move ahead. Then came a classy 115 finish and as Suljovic floundered, the Unicorn ace hit a 6th 180 and won it in brilliant fashion with an 11 dart leg.
Dimitri said: “My goal was to reach the quarter-finals but I’m not finished! I believe. I am a dream maker! My Dad Chris and my family, friends and management team have been brilliant. They all believed in me. I had to believe at this level and that’s what I am now doing.”
His quarter-final opponent Cross brushed aside John Henderson 4-1, while also on Thursday afternoon Darren Webster saw off Spain’s Antonio Alcinas 4-0.
By STUART PYKE at the Alexandra Palace, London
Photograph courtesy Lawrence Lustig / PDC
