Phil Taylor keeps dream of 17th world championship alive as Michael van Gerwen beats Raymond van Barneveld in a thriller
The Power saw off a late fightback from Scotland's Gary Anderson to book a semi-final spot against Welshman Jamie Lewis
PHIL TAYLOR remains on course for a 17th world crown as he stormed into the semi-finals last night.
The Power swatted aside the injured Gary Anderson 5-3 in the quarter-finals of the William Hill PDC World Darts Championship.
The 57-year-old grandfather is adamant that he will walk into the sunset after this tournament, regardless of how well he does.
And World No 6 Taylor will now face Welsh qualifier Jamie Lewis this evening boosted by the knowledge that he has never lost any of his previous 20 semi-finals appearances on the world stage.
It appears to be written in the stars that his last match as a professional will be a world championship final.
And it would rank as one of the most incredible feats in the sport’s history if Taylor lifts the Sid Waddell trophy for one final time.
For Anderson, the two-time world champion, this was just his second defeat in 22 appearances on the Ally Pally stage.
He will now return to his home in Sussex knowing that he will have to recover his broken body ahead of the gruelling 16-week Premier League tournament.
The Scot has been struggling with a back problem for the past six weeks.
During his last-16 victory over Steve West, the twinges became more painful and acute.
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He had treatment with a physio in the hours before this match but it was apparent early on that he was not playing to the same high level that we had expected from the World No 3.
Taylor won the opening set with a 107.19 average, hitting all three of his double chances and securing the advantage with a 120 finish.
Even though Anderson managed to draw it level at 1-1, Taylor won the next two sets to maintain his impressive start.
The third set was achieved 3-0 in legs, with a 109.98 average and 80% doubles ratio.
The turning point in the match occurred in the fourth set when Anderson raced into a 2-0 lead and appeared on the verge of squaring it at 2-2 in sets.
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However, Taylor recovered to win the set in the fifth and decisive leg to move 3-1 ahead.
The fifth set was secured with a superb 100 checkout and, though there was a brief fightback from Anderson in the sixth and seventh sets, Taylor had enough to stamina to see how the match.
Taylor, who hit 12 180s, notably hit a 126 finish on the Bullseye in the seventh set and then f*inished the job with double 20.
The crowd will be certainly backing him to do the job this weekend given that they left this north palace singing "Taylor Wonderland".
In the other semi-final is Michael van Gerwen against England's Rob Cross.
Defending champion Van Gerwen saw off fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld 5-3 in an Ally Pally classic for the ages.