"It was time for me to kick his ass again!" - Michael van Gerwen upbeat after easing past James Wade in rare meeting of the two at German Darts Championship

Michael van Gerwen sailed through to the third round at the 2024 German Darts Championship on Saturday evening, seeing off the challenge of James Wade 6-2 in the second round.

Scoring was pretty underwhelming for Wade in the first few legs. Van Gerwen's scores ran a little better, taking the first four legs all to himself. With a 32 finish, Wade finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth leg. Van Gerwen then threw out 87 to make it 5-1. Wade responded with a 76 check-out in the seventh leg, after which the Dutchman took the match 6-2. That also makes for a Dutch fixture in the third round, as Van Gerwen will face Danny Noppert.

"To play the first game against James is always going to be difficult," Van Gerwen reflected on stage after the match's conclusion. "You know he's going to do everything in his possibility to win the game and he's a difficult player. You need to make sure your head is in the game to win."

Despite being two of the most successful names in PDC history it had been a long time since Wade and Van Gerwen faced off on the big stage. "So it was time for me to kick his ass again!" 'MVG' laughs. "But no, it's always great to play James. He's a credit to the sport and he's such a good player."

As mentioned, in the next round, Danny Noppert awaits for Van Gerwen. "He looks up to me so I need to make sure I do my thing. Do you know what I mean?" Van Gerwen assesses.