2020 Betfred World Matchplay – James Wade vs Keegan Brown Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is James Wade vs Keegan Brown taking place? Saturday 18th July, 2020 (session starts at 18:00 (UK))
Where is James Wade vs Keegan Brown taking place? Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
What channel is James Wade vs Keegan Brown on? Sky Sports
Where can I stream James Wade vs Keegan Brown? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for James Wade vs Keegan Brown? The 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will take place behind closed doors
What was the outcome in the last meeting? James Wade beat Keegan Brown 6-4
THE LOWDOWN
JAMES WADE
- The 2007 World Matchplay champion James Wade has been an ever-present at the Matchplay since making his debut back in 2006 when he reached the final. He is making his 15th appearance and is one of four players in the current field who have won the tournament.
- The Machine never failed to reach the quarter-finals in his first 10 World Matchplay appearances but his run to the quarter-finals 12 months ago was his first appearance in the last eight since 2015.
- Wade comes into the 2020 World Matchplay in a buoyant mood having claimed his first PDC title of the year on day four of the Summer Series and his consistent performances across the five events saw him finish third on the Summer Series Order of Merit.
KEEGAN BROWN
- This is Keegan Brown’s fourth World Matchplay appearance since he made his debut in 2015; he has won two of his previous three round one encounters at the tournament.
- Last year he earned a 10-8 win against the number 14 seed Jonny Clayton in the first round before losing narrowly to eventual semi-finalist Daryl Gurney in the last 16.
- Brown’s run to the quarter-finals at the last tournament prior to the enforced break in March was his first appearance in the last eight of a ranking event since June 2019 but he failed to show the same form on his return to action in the Summer Series where he lost in round one on the first three days and only won a total of three matches across the five days.
THE PREDICTION
James Wade has an excellent World Matchplay pedigree and fond memories of Blackpool so it will certainly seem strange for him competing in this tournament at a different venue and without any fans present. The Machine is an accomplished player no matter what the venue though and he showed signs last week in the Summer Series tournaments that he’s in the mood for a good run at the 2020 Matchplay. Keegan Brown has beaten Wade in a big tournament before when he triumphed at the 2017-18 PDC World Championship but Wade got his revenge the very next year and has won the last four meetings between the pair. Brown does not look in the kind of form to suggest he will stop Wade from extending that winning sequence. Both players are very accomplished combination finishers and there is the potential for a checkout of over 130.5 by either of the competitors.