Overview
- He led 3–1 and missed early match darts before Jermaine Wattimena rallied to force a deciding seventh set with extra legs.
- Anderson produced eight perfect darts in the final set and narrowly missed double 12 for a nine-darter.
- He sealed the match 5–3 in legs in the decider, finally converting his sixth match dart for a 4–3 victory in sets.
- Match numbers underlined his form: a 102.24 average, 14 180s, and a 37.5% double rate, against Wattimena’s 95.26 average, 10 180s, and 34% checkout.
- The Alexandra Palace crowd delivered loud applause and standing ovations, as pundits framed Anderson as a strong title contender.