Michael van Gerwen won trouble-free Friday night against Stephen Bunting in the fourth round of the World Darts Championship. Bunting was given good chances here and there, but in the end 'The Bullet' suffered a hopeless 4-0 defeat against a very steady 'Mighty Mike'.
ADVERTISEMENT
"I struck at the right times. A nice 54 finish after I threw 180 and 136 for example. I think that allowed me to win the match easily. It was a fierce night,'' Van Gerwen commented afterwards on Viaplay.
Bunting did not come close to his level in his first two matches, in which he beat Ryan Joyce (3-0) and Florian Hempel (4-0) by large numbers thanks to generous 100+ averages.
''Whether Bunting has been made too big by the media? I don't know. He played great, but that's not his level. He played better at this World Championship than he has shown all year. It would have been outstanding if he could have pulled that off and he's capable of a lot, but we shouldn't pretend he throws a 107 average every match," Van Gerwen said.
The three-time world champion is now among the eight players still vying for the world title at the start of the new year. In the quarter-finals, a showdown with the winner of the match between Scott Williams and Damon Heta awaits. Van Gerwen does not have a preference, however, he already has the result in his mind. ''One of the two will be the first dessert of the new year on January 1,'' he sounded full of bravado.
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.