Dirk van Duijvenbode’s breakthrough week at the BoyleSports World Grand Prix continued as the 200/1 outsider reached Monday’s final with a 4-1 defeat of Simon Whitlock.
The Dutchman, 28, was the lowest-ranked player going into the tournament at 73 on the PDC Order of Merit but followed up wins over Mensur Suljovic, Dimitri Van den Bergh and Gary Anderson by toppling another former televised event winner.
Whitlock had produced an incredible display to knock out reigning champion Michael van Gerwen in Saturday’s quarter-finals, but was unable to repeat that performance as Van Duijvenbode reached the decider.
The pair shared the opening two sets, with Van Duijvenbode taking the opener 3-0 before Whitlock responded by winning the second 3-1.
The Dutchman, though, swept through the third without reply and then won the fourth set with the aid of a ten-darter and a 13-dart leg.
Van Duijvenbode then sealed victory without reply in set five as a 12-darter saw him continue a dream run by reaching the final on his debut in the double-start event.
“It feels so good to be in the final,” said Van Duijvenbode, who will now move up to at least 54th in the world rankings. “I’m so happy that I’m finally playing my game on stage.
“Both of us thought it was an opportunity to go through to the final and I took the opportunity.
“I wasn’t at my best but maybe Simon was scared and he was trying to get me out of my game. I’ve got a good record against him but he’s played the best game of everyone in this event and beat the number one in the world.
“I don’t think I should have lost the second set, but I was happy to win at the end. I thought I would be more nervous than I was.
I’ve always said that I’m not thinking about winning the tournament, but if I win my next game then I will do.”
Van Duijvenbode works in the office of an aubergine farm in the Netherlands, and admitted: “I was supposed to be working again on Monday, so I’ll have to call my boss. I’ll still have to work on Tuesday but I enjoy working.
“He said to me after I beat Gary Anderson that he was in tears. It feels so awesome if people enjoy it so much when I win.”
Van Duijvenbode will also qualify for next month’s BoyleSports Grand Slam of Darts after reaching the final, and added: “It’s a massive achievement to be in the Grand Slam because it means you’ve been in a final.
“I’ve only been in the qualifiers before so I’m delighted I don’t have to play them now.”
2020 BoyleSports World Grand Prix
Sunday October 11 (1900 BST)
Semi-Finals
Dirk van Duijvenbode 4-1 Simon Whitlock
Dave Chisnall 3-4 Gerwyn Price
Monday October 12 (2000 BST)
Final
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Price
Format
First Round – Best of three sets
Second Round – Best of five sets
Quarter-Finals- Best of five sets
Semi-Finals – Best of seven sets
Final – Best of nine sets
All sets are the best of five legs.
All games will be double start and double finish, meaning players must first hit a double before they can begin scoring in each leg.
There is no tie-break; should a game progress to a final set, the fifth leg of the set would be the deciding leg.
Prize Fund
Winner – £110,000
Runner-Up – £50,000
Semi-Finalists – £25,000
Quarter-Finalists – £16,000
Second Round – £10,000
First Round – £6,000
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