World Darts Championship: Vincent van der Voort forced to withdraw after testing positive for Covid-19 | Darts News

Three-time semi-finalist James Wade receives a bye through to the fourth round, where he will play either Joe Cullen or Martijn Kleermaker

Van der Voort was due to take on fourth seed Wade for a place in the last 16

Vincent van der Voort has been forced to withdraw from the World Darts Championship after testing positive for Covid-19 ahead of his third-round clash against James Wade.

‘The Dutch Destroyer’ recorded a straight-sets win over Adam Hunt in his opener on December 21, and he was due to take on ‘The Machine’ for a place in the last 16 in Monday night’s curtain-raiser.

However, Van der Voort, who remained in the United Kingdom over Christmas, has since tested positive, and world No 4 Wade consequently receives a bye through to the last 16, where he will play either Joe Cullen or Martijn Kleermaker.

Van der Voort becomes the second player to test positive for Covi at this year’s tournament after his compatriot Raymond van Barneveld, who was beaten by 2018 champion Rob Cross in round two.

Van Barneveld confirmed he had no symptoms during his clash with Cross, but he began to feel unwell shortly afterwards, and returned a positive test on Christmas Eve.

Spain’s Juan Francisco Rodriguez was also denied an Alexandra Palace debut after contracting Covid prior to this year’s showpiece.

Monday’s evening session will continue with two matches, as world champion Gerwyn Price continues his title defence against Kim Huybrechts, before eighth seed Jonny Clayton takes on Germany’s Gabriel Clemens.

Join us for the conclusion of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. Check out daily Darts news on skysports.com/darts, our app for mobile devices and our Twitter account @skysportsdarts