# 2021 World Matchplay

The 2021 Betfred World Matchplay was the 28th annual staging of the World Matchplay, organised by the Professional Darts Corporation. The tournament returned to the Winter Gardens, from 17 to 25 July 2021, with the 2020 staging of the event having been moved to the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dimitri Van den Bergh was the defending champion, after beating Gary Anderson 18–10 in the 2020 final. However he was defeated by Peter Wright 18–9 in the final. Wright won his first World Matchplay, and became the fifth player to win both the PDC World Championship and the World Matchplay.

## Prize money

The prize fund remained at £700,000, with the winner's earnings being £150,000.
| Position (no. of players) | Position (no. of players) | Prize money (Total: £700,000) |
| Winner | (1) | £150,000 |
| Runner-up | (1) | £70,000 |
| Semi-finalists | (2) | £50,000 |
| Quarter-finalists | (4) | £25,000 |
| Second round | (8) | £15,000 |
| First round | (16) | £10,000 |

## Format

All games have to be won by two clear legs, with a game being extended if necessary for a maximum of six extra legs before a tie-break leg is required. For example, in a first to 10 legs first round match, if the score reaches 12–12 then the 25th leg will be the decider.
The first round is played first to 10 legs, second round first to 11 legs, quarter-finals first to 16 legs, semi-finals first to 17 legs and final first to 18 legs.

## Qualification

The top 16 players on the PDC Order of Merit at the cut-off point on 10 July were seeded for the tournament. The top 16 players on the ProTour Order of Merit, not to have already qualified on the cut-off date were unseeded. The ProTour Order of Merit took all events from the 2020 Players Championship 14 on 11 September 2020 up until 2021 Players Championship 20 on 9 July 2021.
Mensur Suljović originally qualified through the ProTour Order of Merit, but withdrew for medical reasons. Jermaine Wattimena replaced him.
The following players qualified for the tournament:

## Schedule

| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 |
| 01 | 1 | Dave Chisnall | 10 – 8 | Vincent van der Voort | 3 – 2 | 6 – 4 |
| 02 | 1 | Jonny Clayton | 10 – 7 | Dirk van Duijvenbode | 3 – 2 | 5 – 5 |
| 03 | 1 | Gerwyn Price | 10 – 4 | Jermaine Wattimena | 3 – 2 | 6 – 4 |
| 04 | 1 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 10 – 5 | Devon Petersen | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 |
| 05 | 1 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 10 – 4 | Brendan Dolan | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 |
| 06 | 1 | Glen Durrant | 6 – 10 | Callan Rydz | 0 – 5 | 3 – 7 |
| 07 | 1 | Rob Cross | 10 – 8 | Ross Smith | 2 – 3 | 7 – 3 |
| 08 | 1 | James Wade | 3 – 10 | Luke Humphries | 1 – 4 | 2 – 8 |
| 09 | 1 | Joe Cullen | 10 – 8 | Chris Dobey | 3 – 2 | 5 – 5 |
| 10 | 1 | Michael Smith | 10 – 7 | Ryan Searle | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 |
| 11 | 1 | Peter Wright | 10 – 2 | Danny Noppert | 4 – 1 | 8 – 2 |
| 12 | 1 | José de Sousa | 10 – 2 | Gabriel Clemens | 5 – 0 | 9 – 1 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 |
| 13 | 1 | Daryl Gurney | 7 – 10 | Ian White | 2 – 3 | 3 – 7 |
| 14 | 1 | Nathan Aspinall | 10 – 6 | Mervyn King | 4 – 1 | 6 – 4 |
| 15 | 1 | Michael van Gerwen | 10 – 7 | Damon Heta | 3 – 2 | 4 – 6 |
| 16 | 1 | Gary Anderson | 10 – 5 | Stephen Bunting | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 |
| 17 | 2 | Rob Cross | 8 – 11 | Callan Rydz | 3 – 2 | 5 – 5 |
| 18 | 2 | Luke Humphries | 5 – 11 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 1 – 4 | 4 – 6 |
| 19 | 2 | Gerwyn Price | 11 – 3 | Jonny Clayton | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 |
| 20 | 2 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 11 – 8 | Dave Chisnall | 3 – 2 | 6 – 4 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 | Break 3 |
| 21 | 2 | Michael Smith | 13 – 11 | José de Sousa | 3 – 2 | 5 – 5 | 10 – 10 |
| 22 | 2 | Gary Anderson | 9 – 11 | Nathan Aspinall | 2 – 3 | 4 – 6 | — |
| 23 | 2 | Michael van Gerwen | 11 – 8 | Ian White | 2 – 3 | 5 – 5 | — |
| 24 | 2 | Peter Wright | 11 – 5 | Joe Cullen | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 | — |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 | Break 3 | Break 4 |
| 25 | QF | Krzysztof Ratajski | 16 – 8 | Callan Rydz | 3 – 2 | 7 – 3 | 10 – 5 | 13 – 7 |
| 26 | QF | Gerwyn Price | 9 – 16 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 2 – 3 | 4 – 6 | 7 – 8 | 8 – 12 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 | Break 3 | Break 4 |
| 27 | QF | Peter Wright | 16 – 7 | Michael Smith | 3 – 2 | 6 – 4 | 11 – 4 | 13 – 7 |
| 28 | QF | Michael van Gerwen | 16 – 9 | Nathan Aspinall | 3 – 2 | 6 – 4 | 10 – 5 | 13 – 7 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 | Break 3 | Break 4 |
| 29 | SF | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 17 – 9 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 1 – 4 | 4 – 6 | 9 – 6 | 11 – 9 |
| 30 | SF | Peter Wright | 17 – 10 | Michael van Gerwen | 4 – 1 | 6 – 4 | 10 – 5 | 11 – 9 |
| Game # | Round | Player 1 | Score | Player 2 | Break 1 | Break 2 | Break 3 | Break 4 | Break 5 |
| 31 | F | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 9 – 18 | Peter Wright | 1 – 4 | 2 – 8 | 5 – 10 | 8 – 12 | 8 – 17 |

## Draw

| First round (best of 19 legs) 17–19 July | First round (best of 19 legs) 17–19 July | First round (best of 19 legs) 17–19 July | Second round (best of 21 legs) 20–21 July | Second round (best of 21 legs) 20–21 July | Second round (best of 21 legs) 20–21 July | Quarter-finals (best of 31 legs) 22–23 July | Quarter-finals (best of 31 legs) 22–23 July | Quarter-finals (best of 31 legs) 22–23 July | | Semi-finals (best of 33 legs) 24 July | Semi-finals (best of 33 legs) 24 July | Semi-finals (best of 33 legs) 24 July | | Final (best of 35 legs) 25 July | Final (best of 35 legs) 25 July | Final (best of 35 legs) 25 July |
| 1 | Gerwyn Price 96.57 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Jermaine Wattimena 84.90 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Jermaine Wattimena 84.90 | 4 | 1 | Gerwyn Price 101.11 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 16 | Jonny Clayton 96.91 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 16 | Jonny Clayton 96.00 | 10 | 16 | Jonny Clayton 96.91 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Dirk van Duijvenbode 92.72 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Dirk van Duijvenbode 92.72 | 7 | | | | 1 | Gerwyn Price 98.19 | 9 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 8 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 102.27 | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| 8 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 94.60 | 10 | | | | | | | 8 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 102.27 | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | Devon Petersen 84.05 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Devon Petersen 84.05 | 5 | 8 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 103.68 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 9 | Dave Chisnall 95.88 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Dave Chisnall 97.72 | 10 | 9 | Dave Chisnall 95.88 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Vincent van der Voort 94.37 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Vincent van der Voort 94.37 | 8 | | | | | | | | 8 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 98.51 | 17 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski 96.56 | 9 | | | | |
| 4 | James Wade 93.48 | 3 | | | | | | | | | | | 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski 96.56 | 9 | | | | |
| | Luke Humphries 101.08 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Luke Humphries 101.08 | 10 | | Luke Humphries 98.23 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski 99.94 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski 101.57 | 10 | 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski 99.94 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Brendan Dolan 96.08 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Brendan Dolan 96.08 | 4 | | | | 13 | Krzysztof Ratajski 97.34 | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | Callan Rydz 88.11 | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Rob Cross 100.22 | 10 | | | | | | | | Callan Rydz 88.11 | 8 | | | | | | | | |
| | Ross Smith 91.48 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Ross Smith 91.48 | 8 | 5 | Rob Cross 94.73 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Callan Rydz 92.42 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Glen Durrant 84.03 | 6 | | Callan Rydz 92.42 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Callan Rydz 82.04 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Callan Rydz 82.04 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | 8 | Dimitri Van den Bergh 100.88 | 9 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Peter Wright 105.90 | 18 |
| 2 | Peter Wright 99.75 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2 | Peter Wright 105.90 | 18 |
| | Danny Noppert 92.14 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Danny Noppert 92.14 | 2 | 2 | Peter Wright 105.46 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 15 | Joe Cullen 90.12 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 15 | Joe Cullen 98.07 | 10 | 15 | Joe Cullen 90.12 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Chris Dobey 97.06 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Chris Dobey 97.06 | 8 | | | | 2 | Peter Wright 100.37 | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 7 | Michael Smith 99.23 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
| 7 | Michael Smith 92.46 | 10 | | | | | | | 7 | Michael Smith 99.23 | 7 | | | | | | | | |
| | Ryan Searle 92.00 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Ryan Searle 92.00 | 7 | 7 | Michael Smith 99.73 | 13 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 10 | José de Sousa 97.72 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 10 | José de Sousa 97.45 | 10 | 10 | José de Sousa 97.72 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Gabriel Clemens 92.08 | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Gabriel Clemens 92.08 | 2 | | | | | | | | 2 | Peter Wright 110.37 | 17 | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Michael van Gerwen 101.34 | 10 | | | | |
| 3 | Michael van Gerwen 95.69 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | 3 | Michael van Gerwen 101.34 | 10 | | | | |
| | Damon Heta 90.22 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Damon Heta 90.22 | 7 | 3 | Michael van Gerwen 100.68 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Ian White 93.83 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 14 | Daryl Gurney 94.34 | 7 | | Ian White 93.83 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Ian White 94.06 | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Ian White 94.06 | 10 | | | | 3 | Michael van Gerwen 94.72 | 16 | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | 11 | Nathan Aspinall 90.21 | 9 | | | | | | | | |
| 6 | Gary Anderson 94.42 | 10 | | | | | | | 11 | Nathan Aspinall 90.21 | 9 | | | | | | | | |
| | Stephen Bunting 84.42 | 5 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Stephen Bunting 84.42 | 5 | 6 | Gary Anderson 97.38 | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | 11 | Nathan Aspinall 98.98 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Nathan Aspinall 94.59 | 10 | 11 | Nathan Aspinall 98.98 | 11 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Mervyn King 92.38 | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Statistics
### General

| Player | Eliminated | Played | Legs Won | Legs Lost | 100+ | 140+ | 180s | High checkout | Checkout Av.% | Average |
| Peter Wright | Winner | 5 | 72 | 33 | 145 | 90 | 41 | 149 | 48.00 | 104.37 |
| Dimitri Van den Bergh | Runner-up | 5 | 63 | 49 | 120 | 80 | 49 | 128 | 35.59 | 99.99 |
| Krzysztof Ratajski | Semi-final | 4 | 46 | 34 | 102 | 54 | 22 | 140 | 36.80 | 98.85 |
| Michael van Gerwen | Semi-final | 4 | 47 | 41 | 95 | 64 | 18 | 127 | 41.23 | 98.11 |
| Michael Smith | Quarter-finals | 3 | 30 | 34 | 86 | 51 | 12 | 136 | 43.48 | 97.14 |
| Nathan Aspinall | Quarter-finals | 3 | 30 | 31 | 80 | 41 | 17 | 130 | 25.00 | 94.59 |
| Gerwyn Price | Quarter-finals | 3 | 30 | 23 | 86 | 30 | 13 | 132 | 38.96 | 98.62 |
| Callan Rydz | Quarter-finals | 3 | 29 | 30 | 63 | 24 | 9 | 170 | 45.31 | 87.52 |
| Luke Humphries | Second round | 2 | 15 | 14 | 24 | 27 | 14 | 121 | 30.61 | 99.66 |
| José de Sousa | Second round | 2 | 21 | 15 | 43 | 25 | 12 | 116 | 40.38 | 97.63 |
| Rob Cross | Second round | 2 | 18 | 19 | 55 | 26 | 6 | 132 | 33.33 | 97.48 |
| Dave Chisnall | Second round | 2 | 18 | 19 | 37 | 14 | 9 | 161 | 64.29 | 96.79 |
| Jonny Clayton | Second round | 2 | 18 | 19 | 51 | 30 | 4 | 161 | 35.14 | 96.39 |
| Gary Anderson | Second round | 2 | 19 | 16 | 48 | 27 | 6 | 149 | 37.25 | 96.07 |
| Joe Cullen | Second round | 2 | 15 | 19 | 38 | 19 | 8 | 92 | 51.72 | 94.43 |
| Ian White | Second round | 2 | 18 | 18 | 54 | 25 | 5 | 117 | 37.25 | 93.94 |
| Chris Dobey | First round | 1 | 8 | 10 | 38 | 14 | 8 | 78 | 40.00 | 97.06 |
| Brendan Dolan | First round | 1 | 4 | 10 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 121 | 33.33 | 96.08 |
| Vincent van der Voort | First round | 1 | 8 | 10 | 35 | 17 | 6 | 129 | 34.78 | 94.37 |
| Daryl Gurney | First round | 1 | 7 | 10 | 45 | 17 | 4 | 130 | 36.84 | 94.34 |
| James Wade | First round | 1 | 3 | 10 | 27 | 14 | 2 | 148 | 21.43 | 93.48 |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode | First round | 1 | 7 | 10 | 31 | 13 | 7 | 164 | 33.33 | 92.72 |
| Mervyn King | First round | 1 | 6 | 10 | 32 | 17 | 5 | 62 | 28.57 | 92.38 |
| Danny Noppert | First round | 1 | 2 | 10 | 24 | 10 | 2 | 40 | 15.38 | 92.14 |
| Gabriel Clemens | First round | 1 | 2 | 10 | 28 | 9 | 2 | 52 | 20.00 | 92.08 |
| Ryan Searle | First round | 1 | 7 | 10 | 32 | 15 | 3 | 98 | 38.89 | 92.00 |
| Ross Smith | First round | 1 | 8 | 10 | 33 | 15 | 7 | 81 | 47.06 | 91.48 |
| Damon Heta | First round | 1 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 10 | 2 | 84 | 43.75 | 90.22 |
| Jermaine Wattimena | First round | 1 | 4 | 10 | 20 | 9 | 1 | 116 | 33.33 | 84.90 |
| Stephen Bunting | First round | 1 | 5 | 10 | 26 | 10 | 2 | 60 | 41.67 | 84.42 |
| Devon Petersen | First round | 1 | 5 | 10 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 72 | 35.71 | 84.05 |
| Glen Durrant | First round | 1 | 6 | 10 | 32 | 12 | 2 | 90 | 17.14 | 84.03 |
Source: Match reports from the draw.

### Top averages

This table shows the highest averages achieved by players throughout the tournament.
| # | Player | Round | Average | Result |
| 1 | Peter Wright | SF | 110.37 | Won |
| 2 | Peter Wright | F | 105.90 | Won |
| 3 | Peter Wright | 2 | 105.46 | Won |
| 4 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | 2 | 103.29 | Won |
| 5 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | QF | 102.27 | Won |
| 6 | Krzysztof Ratajski | 1 | 101.57 | Won |
| 7 | Michael van Gerwen | SF | 101.34 | Lost |
| 8 | Gerwyn Price | 2 | 101.11 | Won |
| 9 | Luke Humphries | 1 | 101.08 | Won |
| 10 | Dimitri Van den Bergh | F | 100.88 | Lost |

## Representation

This table shows the number of players by country in the 2021 World Matchplay. A total of 11 nationalities are represented.
| | SCO | BEL | NED | POL | ENG | WAL | POR | NIR | AUS | GER | RSA | Total |
| Final | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 |
| Semi-final | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
| Quarter-final | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 8 |
| Round 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 16 |
| Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 32 |