MvG BREEZES THROUGH!💚 Michael van Gerwen is safely through to the quarter-finals with a 4-1 thrashing of Dirk van Duijvenbode. #WCDarts | R4 📺 bit.ly/WC23Live
"Dirk was trying everything in the book, he was trying to slow me down": Van Gerwen accuses Van Duijvenbode of mind games which backfired in dominant win
PDCSaturday, 31 December 2022 at 09:00
Having comfortably dispatched Dirk van Duijvenbode to book his spot in the quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship for the 9th time in the last eleven years, Michael van Gerwen hit out at what he perceived to be gamesmanship from his compatriot, despite the fact it would ultimately backfire for the Titan.
Speaking in the Sky Sports studio with Wayne Mardle and Emma Paton following his victory, van Gerwen claimed van Duijvenbode had been trying to disrupt his rhythm throughout the match-up. "Dirk was trying everything in the book, he was trying to slow me down," van Gerwen said. "But it doesn't do his game any justice. I just had to tell myself 'keep yourself calm Mike, just smash him.'"
Despite not being overly impressed with his performance, "I won tonight with my B-game, I didn't play well at all," van Gerwen managed to keep his average over a ton for the third successive match, making him the only player remaining in the tournament to have a 100+ average in every game so far.
Pre-game, van Duijvenbode had alluded to the fact that as he was the underdog all the pressure was on the shoulders of the 3-time former world champion, van Gerwen. "He said before the game 'I can relax now, I'm the underdog.' Of course, it's nonsense," Mighty Mike said. "I love my job, playing in front of a crowd like this is amazing."
A quarter-final tie with Chris Dobey awaits van Gerwen in the new year and the Dutchman is already looking forward to the encounter. "I think that Dobey did really well, he has a lot of talent so I'm glad to play him," van Gerwen said. "Of course, he will be the underdog, it iss first to five sets in the next round but I am looking forward to playing him."
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- When Littler has at least five ranking Majors he’s in the discussion, until then, forget it.Mysstree14-11-2024
- This is the difference between other players and Phil Taylor. Phil would be completely motivated even before his walk on and didn't need anything else to do so.richieburnettrocks14-11-2024
- Still impressive though. Also literally everyone cares about averages that's what makes darts fascinating.medinabello14-11-2024
- BS he won a Euro Tour during this down period something that not many players can say. Dobey, Noppy, DvD, Ross Smith to name just a few.medinabello14-11-2024
- Maybe the supposed top players are burnt out from the endless travelling and tournaments, I just don't think they have the dedication or outright desire to win. I think they are more interested in the money and being popular, just keeping their rankings steady. The only thing that mattered to Phil Taylor was winning, not winning a few games to top up the money pot and seeking the fans attention. Maybe there is too many tournaments now and the enthusiasm is gone. This year especially has seen so many different winners and unexpected draws and line ups.richieburnettrocks14-11-2024