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James Wade takes on Ryusei Azemoto in Round 1 of the PDC World Championships. The tournament has been a delight so far, and we’re still in the beginning stages of it.
Now we get the legend that is Wade finally taking to the Ally Pally stage to the delight of fans worldwide. Wade is one of the greatest players to have never won a World Championship, with his best performances coming in 2009, 2012, 2013 and 2022, where he reached the semifinals.
He will be hoping for another deep run this year and starts his campaign off against Ryusei Azemoto from Japan. The 30-year-old will be making his second appearance on the Ally Pally stage after making his debut last year, where he lost to Wesley Plaisier. It would be a massive shock if Azemoto managed to beat Wade this year, but one can never say never, given Wade's history of losing his opening match in his last three appearances in the tournament.
Below, we examine some of the savviest bets you can make on this Round 1 match.
Wade v Azemoto tips
Wade to hit most 180s: 1/2 @ bet365
Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at the time of publication and subject to change.
Wade whitewash win
James Wade should win this match and should win comfortably if we’re basing it on ranking. Whilst Wade has not had the best year on TV with numerous early round exits, I don’t think Azemoto will have enough to trouble Wade. Azemoto plays a majority of his events in soft-tip darts and on the Asian Tour. Whilst that is a growing market and those players on that tour are getting better, Wade is a class apart from Azemoto. We could bet on Wade to win, but you get much better odds on a win-to-nil, so we go with that bet.
Tip: Wade to win 3-0 - 4/7 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet wins if James Wade wins three sets and Ryusei Azemoto wins none.
There will only be three sets
This bet follows from the first bet. Wade is the PDC world number 7, and Azemoto is the PDC world number 181. I want to acknowledge that there really could be an upset here based on Azemoto’s performance last year, where he pushed Plaisier to his limit and got two sets on the board. Wade himself went out in the second round, which was the first time the seeded players came into the draw. This year, the seeded players come in in the first round instead, meaning there is a bigger gap in class between some opponents. All Wade’s losses came against players in the top 60 of the world; Azemoto is far off them. That is why I believe in the win-to-nil for Wade, and thus, there will be only three sets.
Tip: Under 3.5 sets - 1/2 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet wins if there are only three sets in the match.
Wade to hit most 180s
Whilst it has not been Wade’s best year on the tour, the Machine has been steady on his 180 hitting. His yearly average is at 94.79, showing he is still performing well, and in the same 12 months, he has hit 310 180s. Since June 1st, his total of 175 180’s is better than Michael van Gerwen, someone known for his power scoring. This is why I am backing Wade to hit the most 180s in this match against his less experienced opponent.
Tip: Wade to hit most 180s in the match - 1/2 @ bet365
Bet Explanation: This bet wins if Wade hits 180 more than Azemoto over the whole match.
Wade v Azemoto odds
James Wade to win: 1/14 @ bet365
Ryusei Azemoto to win: 8/1 @ bet365
Odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.
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The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change.