"Calm down, the dart flew out of my hand" – Michael van Gerwen reacts to big miss during nine-darter attempt

PDC
Monday, 20 July 2026 at 18:00
Michael van Gerwen (3)
Michael van Gerwen booked his place in the second round of the World Matchplay on Sunday, but afterwards the focus was on one remarkable moment from his tie with Andrew Gilding. He was well on course for a nine-darter after the first break, until his ninth dart landed miles off the intended target. He could only laugh about it afterwards.
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Van Gerwen made a sluggish start at the Winter Gardens. Andrew Gilding capitalized fully on his chances at the doubles and built a 4-1 lead. Right after the first interval, however, the match turned completely. Van Gerwen opened the leg with eight perfect darts and had the crowd on its feet, but saw his attempt to complete the nine-darter fall short on the decisive double.
Afterwards he looked back on the miss with a sense of humor. “It was almost in double 9,” he joked on Viaplay. With that, Van Gerwen was referring to the neighboring double of double 12, where his dart ultimately landed.
“Calm down. The dart flew out of my hand. That can happen. It is what it is. Whether I win a leg in nine or in thirty darts, as long as I win it. That’s the main thing, the rest I couldn’t care less about.”
Although the nine-darter didn’t materialize, the moment proved to be the turning point of the match. Van Gerwen still closed out the leg via double 3 and from that moment began his chase. The Dutchman then won nine of the remaining eleven legs and sealed the match 10-6.
Afterward, Van Gerwen was pleased with how he recovered following a difficult opening phase.
“There’s always pressure on me and I had a tricky spell in the opening phase against him. I didn’t get much energy from him. He showed some nice things at the start, but from the second session I did a lot better.”
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Plenty of room for improvement

Still, the three-time World Matchplay champion felt there was plenty of room for improvement. “I have to be happy with the things I do well at the right moments. There’s more in the tank, but unfortunately I couldn’t show it now. It’s satisfying to win, but I’m not there yet.”
There is also a lot at stake for Van Gerwen this week. With the prize money from his 2024 final dropping off, he is under pressure on the world rankings and will need another deep run to protect his position.
A full Dutch clash with Dirk van Duijvenbode awaits in the second round. Van Gerwen is confident heading into that meeting.
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“There’s confidence and I feel pretty good. I want to fire in every match, but that’s not the reality. Now I have to play Dirk. He has to deal with it too. I think it will be a fun match to watch.”
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