Mervyn King goes on offensive after UK Open win over MVG: "He's got to learn that he can't talk for other people"

The 2014 semi-finalist stunned the world number one with a 10-6 win in Minehead. King went 7-2 up before being pegged back to 7-5. But a superb 141 checkout got the East Anglia veteran back on track. He closed out the win for the biggest surprise of the UK Open so far. Asked about the game by , the 52-year-old didn't have much to say. "Hurdle in front of me, I got over it. End of story," was King's brusque summary. "To be fair, he let me [dominate]. He didn't score like he does normally. He had chances at the double, didn't take them. "I took my chances - that's the way it goes." He opened up when asked about comments by van Gerwen that had made the fourth round tie such an interesting one. After winning Players Championship 3 - in which he had beaten King in the semi-finals - Mighty Mike labelled the Englishman "a disgrace for darts" and accused him of not trying. That riled up King, who admitted that the outburst had added fuel to the fire going into the UK Open clash. "He's got to learn that he can't talk for other people," said King. "I like Michael. He's a great player, he's a great guy. "But you cannot slur somebody's name by saying something like that without the reputation coming back and biting him in the arse. "A semi-final of a competition, why would I not try? "Nobody complained when I threw the same and won the one in Barnsley [PC15, June 2018] with a 105 average." Another big hurdle awaits King in the form of world number two Rob Cross. He'll meet Voltage in the fifth round on Saturday afternoon in Minehead.