10th televised nine-darter for Taylor makes him new favourite

Gary Anderson v Adrian Lewis (Friday 7.15pm)
These two have enjoyed close battles in the past, but Englishman Lewis (6/1 tournament third-favourite) edges his overall meetings with Anderson (7/1) 13-10.

The Flying Scotsman (11/10 to win) has already come through a tough opener and beat Peter Wright’s conqueror in the second round, while Lewis (odds-on at 8/11) whitewashed Andrew Gilding, before comfortably seeing off his bogey competitor Mervyn King.

Expect this to go all the way, but last year’s runner-up Lewis should edge it, as Anderson usually flops in Blackpool.

Phil Taylor v Wes Newton (Friday 8.45pm)
Following Taylor’s 10th televised nine-darter against Smith, the sporting great said: “I did forecast it by the way, there were a few people in the crowd who’d had a bet on it. I said before I thought there could be a nine-darter so I hope everyone had a bet on it.

“There’s nothing wrong with my form, everyone in the world kept telling me there’s something wrong with you but it was all about the equipment, we’ve kept on experimenting and then something just clicked in.”

There is no doubting now of The Power’s form certainly, and that is why Coral have made him the new World Matchplay favourite at 7/4. He has not lost at this event since 2007, and his next unlucky opponent is fellow Englishman Wes Newton (50/1 title outsider).

Taylor is massively odds-on at 1/20 to go through to the semis, with Newton a 9/1 chance, probably due to the fact the latter has won just one of the 30 head-to-heads and lost the last 15 with The Power.

Newton and Taylor have faced each other at this stage before at the World Matchplay in 2011, with the latter claiming a 16-5 thrashing. That scoreline in his favour again is priced at 10/1.

Odds correct at time of publishing.