Chris Dobey made history on New Year's Day by becoming the first semifinalist at the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship held at Alexandra Palace, London. The 34-year-old Englishman overcame the formidable Gerwyn Price with a score of 5-3, marking his inaugural appearance at this stage of the tournament.
Dobey's achievement is noteworthy, especially considering the previous year when he succumbed to Rob Cross after holding a commanding 4-0 lead. This time, Dobey weathered the pressure superbly. Initially, Price had the upper hand, winning the first two sets, including brilliant darts and effective double hits. Price thrilled his supporters with impressive throws, such as 12-darter and 11-darter finishes.
Despite his early dominance, the tides turned when Dobey responded with resilience, clinching the third set with a remarkable finish of 107. The turning point of the match perhaps came during the fourth set’s fifth leg, where Price failed to capitalize on set darts. Dobey, seizing the moment, achieved a stunning 76 finish, leveling the match at 2-2.
While Price scored 11-dart finishes and applied pressure, Dobey managed to break back at key moments with 14-darter scoring, pulling him to a commanding 4-2 lead. Yet nerves crept back as Dobey approached victory, missing five match darts, allowing Price to snatch the seventh set and reduce the overall score to 4-3. For the spectators, it felt like the tide had shifted once more as Price celebrated his comeback, but Dobey regained momentum and secured the match with another 92 finish.
The official PDC Twitter account jubilantly captioned, “DOBEY BREAKS NEW GROUND!” highlighting the excitement surrounding his victory and the significance of this achievement.
Earlier on the same day, Michael van Gerwen, aiming for his fourth world title, emerged victorious against Callan Rydz, posting the same 5-3 scoreline. Rydz, ranked 43rd and surprising many with his performance, kept van Gerwen on his toes throughout the match, challenging the three-time world champion throughout the sets.
Van Gerwen initially faced difficulty but turned the match around, winning the first set decisively. Rydz continued to impress with various finishes, including 135, maintaining competitive spirit, and at one point leading with creative high-scoring finishes of 12-darters.
Despite Rydz’s commendable efforts, van Gerwen proved too resilient, making strategic checks at pivotal moments. This semifinals appearance marks van Gerwen's ninth time reaching this stage, having won the championship previously in 2014, 2017, and 2019.
The stakes remain high with both Dobey and van Gerwen set to face off, promising to deliver yet another thrilling encounter. Meanwhile, two other quarterfinal matches took place later the same evening with Peter Wright clashing against Stephen Bunting, followed by the highly anticipated match between Luke Littler and Nathan Aspinall.
With the tournament format changing to best of 9 sets, this year's championship to date has highlighted not only the skill but the mental tenacity required to navigate the pressure cooker environment of elite darts. The anticipation builds as fans look forward to more electrifying showdowns at Alexandra Palace, hoping to see new champions arise.