Flanders Darts Trophy Saturday evening Round-Up | Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price majorly impress with huge averages as Michael van Gerwen loses again

Michael van Gerwen was unable to build on his good result from last week in Prague as he lost early at the Flanders Darts Trophy, while Nathan Aspinall and Gerwyn Price massively impressed.

Van Gerwen had sent an encouraging signal last week by reaching the semi-finals of the Czech Darts Open. After strong wins over the likes of Wessel Nijman and Jonny Clayton, 'Mighty Mike' eventually bowed out in the last four against Luke Littler.

In Antwerp, however, Van Gerwen was eliminated in his opening match for the third consecutive year. After defeats to Gabriel Clemens and Gian van Veen in recent years, he was beaten this time by Damon Heta.

The Australian had actually already struck an important blow before the match by winning the bull throw, as every leg went with the throw. Van Gerwen was given just one opportunity to break Heta. In the third leg, Van Gerwen had a chance to break from 76, but missed double 20. Heta then gave him no more chances in his own legs, and started the deciding leg excellently with a 180. With Van Gerwen at a big disadvantage, Heta secured the victory.

The Belgian crowd was also entertained by a number of high averages along the way. Gerwyn Price, for example, recorded an excellent 6-3 victory over Bradley Brooks, with 'The Iceman' posting an average of 103.52.

That average was later surpassed by Nathan Aspinall. 'The Asp' flew out of the blocks against Niko Springer and took a 3-0 lead, including an 11-darter. The match eventually ended 6-1. Aspinall's average finished at an impressive 105.99.

Ryan Joyce caused a surprise in the last 32 by eliminating Josh Rock 6-3. Stephen Bunting narrowly avoided an upset. 'The Bullet' battled past Brendan Dolan 6-5. James Wade also reached the third round, with 'The Machine' securing a straightforward 6-2 victory over Jim Long.

Unlike Van Gerwen, Gian van Veen and Wessel Nijman will be back in action on Sunday in the last 16. Van Veen recorded an excellent 6-3 victory over Gabriel Clemens in the second round, averaging 101.54.

The player from Poederoijen delivered the first blow in the fifth leg by taking out 143 in Clemens' leg, but the German immediately broke back with a 146 finish. However, a third consecutive break followed after Van Veen managed to take out 82.

He then added an 84 finish to extend his lead to 5-3. Clemens had a chance from 88 to stay in the match, but was unable to take it. Van Veen then finished things off with a 64 finish, meaning he will face compatriot Kevin Doets in the last 16 on Sunday.

Nijman followed the good example of his compatriot Van Veen and battled past Sebastian Bialecki 6-4. However, it was far from easy. After already taking out 170 in the second leg, Nijman moved a break ahead in the fifth leg thanks to a 115 checkout. However, the Dutchman immediately surrendered that break. Legs seven and eight went with the throw before Nijman produced another strong leg to force a break. He then successfully consolidated his break to make it 6-4.