Jermaine Wattimena advanced to the second round of the World Grand Prix with real confidence, defeating Chris Dobey in straight sets in Leicester. The Dutchman was particularly satisfied with how he handled the unique double-in, double-out format. A tough last-16 clash with Luke Humphries now awaits Wattimena.
Relief and joy were written all over Wattimena’s face after he pinned the winning double. Speaking to Viaplay, the Dutchman admitted the victory meant a great deal to him. “It really does a lot,” said Wattimena. “I’m happy with this win. I think my double-in was strong. I made a few small mistakes as well, but overall I was the slightly better player in this match.”
By beating Dobey 2-0, Wattimena booked another spot in the last 16 at a major TV event. He also provisionally climbs to 16th on the world ranking. Confronted with that, Wattimena reacted in his own way: “I won’t shout about it. I’ve been there twice this year and twice I slipped back again. So let’s not say it too loudly,” he joked to presenter Bart Nolles.
The Dutchman knows he has a hefty amount of prize money to defend later this year. “If you keep track a bit: I’ve got £60,000 to defend at the European Championship,” said Wattimena. “So I need to work hard on that too.”
First, though, the full focus stays on the World Grand Prix. At the time of the interview, Wattimena didn’t yet know his next opponent. He was braced for Dave Chisnall or Humphries. It is now confirmed he will face the latter. “Either way it would be a very good match, to be honest,” Wattimena said before his opponent was known.
