"I can only blame myself for this again" - Missed chances prove costly for Michael van Gerwen on opening night of Premier League Darts 2025

Michael van Gerwen lost out in the semifinals on the opening night of the 2025 Premier League Darts campaign. The 35-year-old Dutchman went down 6-5 against Luke Humphries. Afterwards, there was clear disappointment for Van Gerwen, but also satisfaction with his level.

Van Gerwen had everything in his own hands against Humphries, but with a 4-3 lead he missed seven chances on a double to make it 5-3. That proved to be a fatal error. "I can only blame myself for this again. There was one the better player and that was me," Van Gerwen told Viaplay in his post-match interview. "They just don't have anything to say to me tonight, but I let myself down. Maybe that's the process I'm in right now. It does me a lot of good to see that I'm on the right track. I just have to see this through, then I can show a lot of great things in this Premier League. I feel good."

Van Gerwen, however, had started the evening excellently. In the quarterfinals, he won 6-5 over Luke Littler after one of the greatest matches in Premier League Darts history, defying an average of around 114 from the recently crowned world champion. "We know I come from very far and this is another highlight, although I could have finished it earlier," he assesses.

"This is the opening of the Premier League Darts, a tough match, because we know what that boy can do. Then it gives a lot of satisfaction when you polish him for a while. But I have nothing yet huh, except two points," Van Gerwen concludes.