Van Gerwen progresses at the expense of Anderson while Rock and Nijman finish ahead of van Veen in ‘Group of Death’ in the Grand Slam of Darts

Michael van Gerwen defeated Gary Anderson 5-2 while averaging over 108 in a stunning performance to advance out of a very tricky group in the Grand Slam of Darts.

Anderson was looking to make it through the group for the 18th consecutive time in this event, with the Scot never failing to make it out. Van Gerwen had other ideas as he put together a vintage showing from the three-time champion. He commenced with a 13-darter and punished Anderson for missed doubles to break. The Flying Scotsman put the game back on throw before van Gerwen took out 84 in two darts to regain his precious break advantage.

Anderson almost got himself back in the match in the best possible way, finding triple 20 twice to set himself up on the bull for a 170 checkout. Unfortunately for two-time world champion, he could not find the red bit and was instantly penalised by the Dutchman on double 14. Van Gerwen would then miss two match darts with Anderson keeping himself in the tie. However, van Gerwen made no mistake in the next leg to finish top of Group G, with Anderson bottom.

Only one of Josh Rock and Gian Van Veen would make it through Group F. It would be the Northern Irishman after a solid 5-2 win over van Veen squeezed him through. The young Dutchman broke the throw in the first leg on double six and had the chance to extend his advantage but missed double 19 for a 158 checkout. Rock levelled before producing some electric scoring to take the lead. It would stay on hold before The Giant slipped up. Three missed darts on the outer ring saw Rock’s chance to stamp his authority. He pinned tops with no issue before bursting into celebration after finding double 18 to progress into the last-16 for the first time since 2023.

Before that, Wessel Nijman confirmed his spot in the knockouts after a 5-0 win over the four-time women’s world champion Lisa Ashton. The Englishwomen had the first chance to go ahead but missed a brace of darts at double 16. She would not have another dart at double for the rest of the match as Nijman produced the quality. He took out 79 in two to go ahead and later took out 119 on tops to go one away from triumph, before sealing the deal a leg later.

Cam Crabtree and Lukas Wenig, on debut, were also battling it out for a qualifying spot, and top of Group H. In the end, Wenig would come out a comprehensive 5-1 winner. Wenig had darts at double in every leg, missing three in the first leg with Crabtree taking advantage. From them, Shazam missed 12 darts in five legs on the outer ring. This was a golden opportunity for Wenig to capitalise, and he did. Beginning with a show-stopping 167 checkout, he won five legs on the bounce ahead of pinning double four with his fourth match dart to qualify for the last-16.

Fellow Englishman Connor Scutt had more luck in his tie against Karel Sedlacek, defeating the Czech number one 5-3 to progress for the first time. He clinched a hugely crucial break to make it 3-2. Scutt pinned double four to go 4-2 ahead but Evil Charlie’s 100% checkout rate sae him stick with Scutt. The Sniper should have had match darts from 51 but hit the treble 19, busting his score. Sedlacek had two chances to force a last-leg decider but narrowly missed. Scutt made no mistake when stepping back to the oche as he got the job done.

Luke Littler was utterly dominant in his group and continued the pattern after breezing past Daryl Gurney 5-1. The Nuke was already confirmed to finish top with Gurney already out. Littler raced into a 3-0 lead with no trouble before Gurney found double 18 to get himself on the board. Littler’s intentions were clear heading into the last two legs: take out the 170. He left it twice but was unable to take it out, missing the bull for the match. He cleaned up moments later to complete a dominant group phase.

Beau Greaves moved up the gears in her 5-3 win against Niko Spriner, winning five legs on the spin. The German had already qualified and went 3-0 ahead with six visits for each of those legs. While his level did not increase too much, Beau ‘n’ Arrow’s level improved. She took out 104 to get back on track before a phenomenal 134 outshot on double seven to take the lead. She wrapped up the match on double 18. While she will not qualify for the knockout stages, it was a memorable way to end her 2025 Grand Slam.

Jonny Clayton ended his Grand Slam with a superb 5-4 victory over a fantastic Danny Noppert who averaged 107. Three breaks started the match, with Noppert kicking things off with a 122 checkout. Later on, he pinned 100 in two before narrowly missing a match dart on the bull for a 124 checkout. The Ferret showed his class and took out 120 enroute to a stunning comeback. This loss meant that the already qualified Noppert would finish Group H in second.