For the first time in the 30-year history of the professional darts world championship, a German is in the quarter-finals: Gabriel Clemens defeats Scotland’s Alan Soutar 4-1. World number one Gerwyn Price awaits in the quarter-finals on New Year’s Day.
Lucky on double 20: Gabriel Clemens achieved the greatest success of his career at the Darts World Championship in London. With the 4:1 victory over Alan Soutar, Clemens is now definitely a place in the history books. Clemens is the first German to reach the World Cup quarter-finals after being the first German to reach the round of 16 two years ago.
It was already clear in the early stages of the game against the semi-professional from Scotland that things would go one step further on this cold, wet December day in London. Soutar, a full-time firefighter, was literally destroyed by Clemens in the first sentence. The first sentence in front of just over 3000 spectators in “Ally Pally”, 500 of them from Germany, is a demonstration of power by the “German Giant”. The first shot is a 180, in the second leg a high finish succeeds and a few minutes later Clemens bagged the first round in fast forward.
Set two also started well from the point of view of the world number 25, but Soutar suddenly signed up out of nowhere with a 104 checkout. Although the Scot plays little better than at the beginning of the game, Clemens misses too many chances and adapts to the playing level of “Soots”.
After the second set break, things are going better for Clemens again, the Saarlander takes the 2:1 set lead with a 3:0 leg. But again, Soutar won’t be shaken off that easily. It is not for nothing that the number 36 in the world won against top player Danny Noppert in the previous round. Set four is contested, Clemens trembles against a strengthened Soutar in the decision leg on the last groove to lead 3:1.
In set four, the game turned into a little darts drama. Three missed match darts gave Soutar the chance to shorten. The fireman couldn’t use it. Clemens scored the fourth match dart to win 4:1.
For Clemens, the historical success means that he will spend New Year’s Eve in London for the first time. On New Year’s Day, “Gaga” will face world number one Gerwyn Price. The signs are then different: Clemens can only win, he has already written German darts history.