"He was inconsolable" – Vincent van der Voort watches up close as Van Gerwen takes a heavy blow at the World Series of Darts Finals
PDCFriday, 18 September 2026 at 20:00
Michael van Gerwen suffered a particularly painful defeat at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The Dutchman seemed on course for the second round against Daryl Gurney, but squandered multiple chances in the closing stages and eventually lost 6-5. Despite the exit, Vincent van der Voort still saw enough positives in his close friend’s display.
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In the Darts Draait Door podcast, Van der Voort and Damian Vlottes discussed in detail what went wrong. The focus fell on Van Gerwen’s missed opportunities, as he had several moments to seize control of the match.
Gurney made a dream start. “He started brilliantly, didn’t he? The first three legs,” observed Van der Voort. The Northern Irishman opened with visits of 180 and 140 and pinned a 141 finish. Not long after, he added a 170 finish.
Even so, Van Gerwen managed to turn the match completely around. “He turned it around nicely and then forgot to reward himself,” said Van der Voort. “You can see it’s a confidence issue. It shows he’s not quite in a groove right now. But even then, you should still be able to take out 40 with six darts.”
As the match progressed, Van Gerwen’s level rose. His legs got shorter, the scoring improved, and Van der Voort liked his body language. “He really threw well. The darts sat nicely in the board and his head was in a good place. You think: now you’ve got him.”
Precisely for that reason, the defeat stung. In the final leg, Van Gerwen had a golden chance to close it out. With Gurney well back, he stood on 171, but Van Gerwen chose a route that left 131 and then tops.
Van der Voort sees tension in Van Gerwen: “He’s genuinely doing everything he can”
That choice came because Van Gerwen normally prefers to leave double 16. Van der Voort suspected tension played a part. “I think he might have been a little wary of treble 19. But we’ll never know.”
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At the same time, he immediately added an important caveat. Van Gerwen is not currently in a period where everything flows. “You have to see he’s in a different place now than then. There’s a lot of tension on him at the moment. He’s trying to turn it around and he really is doing everything he can right now. You just want instant results. That doesn’t happen.”
Van Gerwen also told Van der Voort that leaving tops was a deliberate call. “He said to me: ‘Tops was fine all match.’ Which is true. You think: I haven’t missed that yet, so maybe it’s a good choice.”
In the end, Van Gerwen even had six darts to win the match. According to Vlottes and Van der Voort, Gurney had twice put his darts down waiting for the decisive double to land. Still, the Northern Irishman survived and then struck.
Van Gerwen endured a painful night in front of his home crowd at AFAS Live.
“You’d be absolutely sick about that as well”
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It was no surprise that Van Gerwen was barely approachable afterwards. Van der Voort spoke to him briefly after the match. “Of course he’s absolutely sick about it. He was inconsolable. You’d be absolutely sick about that as well. If not, that would be a problem. He’s trying to turn it around, and I truly believe he will. It just never happens quickly enough. That’s the frustration.”
The former pro sees firsthand how much work Van Gerwen is putting in to lift his level. The day before the match, the two were back on the board together. They once again looked at some technical details in his throw.
“Yesterday we did a session with him at our dart shop and tried a few small tweaks to his throw. The darts flew nicely and sat well in the board. It really looked good. I saw that in patches in this match as well.”
Van der Voort knows these comments have been heard around Van Gerwen more often lately. Still, he remains convinced the three-time world champion can rediscover his form. “I understand many people will think: I’ve heard this a hundred times. I know. But that’s fine. I think he will turn it around. The only question is when.”
He saw enough signs against Gurney to back that up. Over the match, Van Gerwen pushed his average back towards a ton and, after Gurney’s strong start, showed he still has the tools to dictate against top opposition.
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“That means it’s still in there. That it’s trending upwards,” said Van der Voort. “Then you want to reward yourself. You want to try to be a little better in the next round and get into the match earlier. It’s purely about building the level.”
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In Amsterdam, however, there will be no next step for Van Gerwen. That made the defeat even more bitter, according to Van der Voort. A win would have given him another match to work on form and confidence. “If Michael throws around a 100 average, he troubles everyone and beats almost anyone.”
Now there’s nothing left but to process the disappointment and get back to work. “Take this one on the chin, train at home, and keep building. And try to turn it somewhere.”
Samuel GillChief Content Officer
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
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