Van Gerwen survives scare against O'Connor; Brown dumps out defending champion Price

Michael van Gerwen qualified for the quarterfinals at the World Series of Darts Finals on Saturday night. However, it did not go easy for Van Gerwen against William O'Connor.

The Irishman even took a 3-0 lead in the early stages after some misses by the Dutchman. However, with two 14-darters, 'Mighty Mike' returned to 3-2 before O'Connor made it 4-2 with a 13-darter.

Van Gerwen then picked up another two legs and ensured a 4-4 tie. The ninth leg then proved to be the key point. O'Connor left tops and thought he could throw for the 5-4, however Van Gerwen decided otherwise with a great 161 finish. This gave the Dutchman the lead for the first time in the match and then decided the game with a 20-darter.

The 34-year-old will not be bothered by Gerwyn Price for the rest of the tournament. The Welsh defending champion was dumped 6-4 in the second round by Keegan Brown, who produced a 167 finish to win the match in the tenth leg.

How much prize money is to be won?

The prize pool for this event contains a total of 300,000 pounds. However, the prize money won does not count toward the PDC Order of Merit or other money rankings.

All participants are guaranteed £5,000 in prize money. This amount could eventually rise to a sum of £70,000 in prize money for the winner.

What are the World Series of Darts?

The World Series tournaments are international events of the PDC organized to promote the sport beyond the (Western) European borders.

Earlier this year, tournaments also took place in Bahrain, Denmark, the United States, Poland, New Zealand and Australia. Past World Series tournaments have also been scheduled in Dubai, Singapore, Japan, Scotland, China, Germany and Austria.