PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic - Taylor Defeats Painter
PHIL TAYLOR KEVIN PAINTER
PHIL TAYLOR made a storming start to his bid for a fourth PartyPoker.net Las Vegas Desert Classic title with a 6-4 win over Kevin Painter.
Painter, who battled through the second qualifier on Tuesday just to win a place in the main event, performed superbly but was simply overpowered by Taylor, who averaged 108.8 in the win to his opponent^s 104.
Taylor
lost 6-5 to Mark Dudbridge in last year^s first round and admitted that memory helped him to victory this time around, with an early 3-0 lead proving crucial in the final outcome.
"Last year^s gone but you do think about it," he said. "You can only do something about the future and I^m up for it this year.
"Kevin was superb and won some great legs but I had to try and keep my throw - when he had his back against the wall he hit and 11 or 12-darter.
"At 5-4 I couldn^t let him get to five each, especially after what happened last year, and I kicked in.
"It was a cracking average but I^ve got a toughie against Dennis Priestley next and I^ll have to average 110 or so to beat him."
Priestley won the tournament’s opening game with a 6-2 demolition of Dutchman Co Stompe, but there was misery for 2006 Desert Classic winner John Part and two-time runner-up Wayne Mardle on the opening day.
World Champion Part lost 6-4 to Mervyn King, while Mardle went down by the same scoreline to qualifier Adrian Gray.
World number five Terry Jenkins, the 2007 runner-up, made a winning start to his challenge with a 6-4 win over Ireland’s Mick McGowan.