James Wade admitted he felt sorry for Dave Chisnall after demolishing him 6-0 in the second round of the International Darts Open on Sunday. Despite the emphatic scoreline, Wade was far from celebratory, saying: “There’s nothing worse than a professional dishing out a whitewash. That’s not the way darts players work. It’s great for me, but it doesn’t sit right.”
Wade, an eight-time European Tour champion, did not have to come out of second gear as Chisnall struggled to reach a double. A whopping 138 checkout compounded Wade’s advantage, and he later pinned tops for an 82 checkout to seal the win in commanding fashion. Chisnall averaged just 82, and Wade noted: “Dave didn’t play well. I played a little bit better. I’m onwards and upwards and he’s not, but ‘whitewash’ is a s****y term, sorry.”
While Wade admitted he wanted Chisnall to “hit absolutely nothing” during the match, he felt for him afterwards. “When you do win 6–0, it’s crap. It’s not nice, because you know how that other person feels,” he said. “Dave’s one of the good guys in darts. He’s not one of the bad guys. There’s lots of others I wish it upon, but Dave isn’t one of them. Anyway, I’m not going to shatter over my performance. I played well, I deserved to win, I did win, but yeah, it’s a bit crappy.”
Wade now faces Wessel Nijman in the third round. Having already won six titles this year, including a maiden European Tour triumph, Nijman represents a tough test. However, Wade has won all four of their prior encounters. “There you go. If he has a career like mine, he’d do alright, wouldn’t he,” Wade concluded.
