On December 22, 2024, on his 54th birthday, Gary Anderson faced one of the biggest shocks of his illustrious career as he was eliminated from the PDC World Darts Championship by unseeded player Jeffrey de Graaf. The match, held at the iconic Alexandra Palace, ended with Anderson suffering a straight-sets defeat, marking the first time he has lost his opening match at the World Championship after 16 previous appearances.
Anderson, the two-time world champion, entered the tournament as the 14th seed and was among the favorites to claim his third title. Having begun the year strongly, he was anticipated to showcase his skills against De Graaf, who holds the 81st position in the world rankings. Instead, it turned out to be a historic night for the wrong reasons.
Right from the start, the match was dominated by de Graaf, who displayed remarkable composure and efficiency. He opened with impressive checkouts and maintained pressure on Anderson, who struggled to find his rhythm. De Graaf finished the match with 75% of his doubles conversions, demonstrating his proficiency at the oche.
Reflecting on his performance, de Graaf said, "It's great. Gary didn't really show up as he usually does. I'm very happy with the win." He continued to share the nervousness he felt during the match: "I got very nervous after the first set and then at 2-0, I was like, 'what is going on now?'" It was evident early on, Anderson’s frequent misses at double would be pivotal as he missed 17 of his 20 attempts throughout the encounter—a statistic hard to overlook for any player at this level.
The match unfolded with de Graaf taking control immediately, winning the first set 3-0, capitalizing on Anderson’s inability to strike at doubles. According to statistics from the match, Anderson managed only two 180s and recorded an average of 92.51, far below his usual standards. Meanwhile, de Graaf’s average of 95.56 underlined his dominance.
Each of Anderson’s attempts seemed riddled with pressure, as he fought to regain the competitiveness but found himself often outplayed. After dropping the first two sets swiftly, Anderson briefly showed signs of life by taking the third set to the decider but once again succumbed to de Graaf’s relentless quality, losing with scores of 76 and double-18, thereby sealing his fate with the final scoreline of 3-0.
De Graaf will now proceed to face Filipino Paolo Nebrida, who also recorded an upset by defeating England's Ross Smith, another seeded player, in straight sets. Nebrida’s performance included back-to-back checkouts of 120 and 118, proving he should not be underestimated.
Anderson's loss, particularly on such a significant day, is disappointing considering his recent rise up the rankings after strong performances earlier in the year, including semi-final finishes at both the World Cup of Darts and the Grand Slam of Darts. The defeat leaves many questioning whether this marks the beginning of the end for the seasoned professional or simply a brief lapse amid his illustrious career.
After his exit, Anderson, who will now be absent from the tournament until at least next year, faces the sobering reality of reflecting on missed opportunities and the heightened competition seen throughout the PDC World Darts Championship this year which has made the tournament especially unpredictable.
Currently, out of 23 seeded players who have participated, 11 have already been eliminated, raising concerns about the fate of other pre-tournament favorites. Fellow seeded players such as Ross Smith and Martin Schindler, who also experienced exits on this day, reinforce the uncertain atmosphere as the World Championship progresses.
This unexpected turn of events at the Alexandra Palace has set the stage for thrilling matches to come, as viewers await the next round of high-stakes darts. The 2024-2025 season is already shaping up to be as explosive as anticipated, but not without its share of surprises. With Anderson on the sidelines, darts fans will miss witnessing one of the game’s greatest players chase after the title he has won twice before.
