MICHAEL SMITH eased his way into the final of the PDC World Darts Championship with a comfortable 6-3 semi-final victory over James Wade at the Alexandra Palace in London.
‘Bully Boy’ had already defeated world number one Gerwyn Price in the quarters, and he looked assured as he raced into a two-set lead in quick fashion over his fellow countryman.
A smart 114 checkout saw Smith take the early advantage, but it was not all one-way traffic.
Wade rallied and took the third set and also had darts to take the fourth after checking out with an impressive 121 finish.
It was not to be though as Smith battled back from two legs down to go 3-1 up as he edged nearer to a spot in the final showpiece at the Ally Pally.
Wade continued to dig deep but slack doubles and some impressive finishing from his counterpart proved to be key in this contest.
A 78 checkout claimed the fourth set for Smith and a fifth followed shortly after when Wade missed a shot at saving the set from 116.
‘The Machine’ missed tops, allowing Smith to come back and take out double 12 with his final dart for a 72 checkout.
Wade then added to his solitary set as he grabbed the seventh despite the pressures of Smith throwing for the match.
Smith recorded a trebleless visit when needing the Big Fish (170), before Wade produced the biggest finish of the night with a 160.
The checkout appeared to spark the Aldershot-born star into life, and he proceeded to take the eighth with a tidy 14-darter.
Despite the late response from Wade, Smith wrapped things up in the ninth as he shot a double ten to make a 40 finish to book his name in his second World Championships final.
At the time of print, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright were battling it out for the second spot in the World Championships final.
Anderson is bidding for a third title after winning in both 2015 and 2016. Wright has had stunning season on the Oche and is hoping to add to his 2020 crown.
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