Emotional Van Gerwen overcomes Tabern after bizarre start

Michael Van Gerwen played well in a 3-1 victory over Alan Tabern after having beer thrown at him by a crowd member. He is through to play Max Hopp in the third round.

There was a delay to the game between Michael Van Gerwen and Alan Tabern due to a crowd related incident. When the match began, 'Mighty Mike' immediately broke throw with a 104 checkout. After Van Gerwen won the second leg, Tabern hit his trusty double 10 to reduce the deficit. Both players began with a maximum but “Mighty Mike” prevailed with a 91 finish in leg four to win the first set.
The second set was even more comfortable for the world number 1. After winning the first leg, Van Gerwen seized on Tabern’s missed doubles to go two legs clear. Despite being visibly upset at the earlier incident, Van Gerwen remained comfortable as he hit tops for the second set. “The Saint” gained a 2-1 advantage, hitting 81 for an 11 dart leg. Tabern then converted tops to win the third set.
However, the Dutchman turned on the afterburners to go two legs clear in the set. An 11 and a 14 dart leg gave the world number 1 significant breathing space. Van Gerwen missed four match darts and Tabern hit double 10 to stay in the contest. The set went to a deciding leg but MvG eventually prevailed with an 86 finish to seal victory.
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Evening session schedule

Toni Alcinas (86.03) 3-0 (71.47) Craig Ross (R1)
Ryan Searle (87.82) 3-0 (87.06) Stephen Burton (R1)
Keegan Brown (95.78) 3-0 (92.15) Karel Sedlacek (R1)
Michael van Gerwen (102.59) 3-1 (93.45) Alan Tabern(R2)
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