Dimitri van den Bergh reveals he didn't realise he'd hit nine-darter vs Van Gerwen at Winmau World Masters: "After the game people were like 'Dimi you've hit a nine'"

Dimitri van den Bergh put in an epic performance on Sunday night, defeating Michael van Gerwen 4-3 to reach the quarter-finals of the 2025 PDC Winmau World Masters in Milton Keynes.

Having only ever beaten Van Gerwen once in more than 20 career meetings, not many had given Van den Bergh much hope. Even less when the Belgian trailed 3-2 in sets. “I think it was written in the stars for once," reflected Van den Bergh post-match. “Everybody knows the head-to-head record between me and Michael, so I am stoked with that!"

So intent on getting back into the contest and so in the zone was Van den Bergh, he didn't fully realise that he had hit an incredible nine-darter. "I was 3-2 down and the focus was win the leg (when I hit the nine-darter). I was saying to myself 'play your game', and I hit one, then I was like 'yes'," he recalls. "That's what you need to do when you're 3-2 down in sets and you are starting, because it's the best of three – that means that whatever is going on, you've got to make it happen right now."

It wasn't until the 30-year-old headed off stage having won the match that he fully realised what he had just done. "So I went 180, 180, then I went treble, treble, double 18, and I was like 'yes that's my leg'. And afterwards, after I played the game and won it, people were like, 'Dimi, you've hit a nine-darter', and then I was like, 'oh yeah, I hit a nine'!" Van den Bergh laughs.

"This Belgian beauty is through to the freaking quarter-finals; happy days," concludes a clearly delighted Van den Bergh. In the last eight, Nathan Aspinall now awaits for the Belgian after The Asp saw off Cameron Menzies is his own last 16 tie on Saturday night.