Van Gerwen made his first appearance after his surprising defeat in the first round of the World Grand Prix against Daryl Gurney. 'Mighty Mike' washed away this loss by beating Dylan Slevin. A 14-darter and three 15-darters gave Van Gerwen a 4-1 lead and eventually the 35-year-old from The Netherlands then won the match 6-4.
Elsewhere, Danny Jansen provided some good resistance to reigning world champion Luke Humphries, but eventually the recent World Grand Prix runner up secured the 6-4 victory. Luke Littler was also too strong for his opponent as the teen sensation downed Jules van Dongen 6-2.
Stephen Bunting beat World Masters champion Wesley Plaisier won 6-1. Gian Veen and Dave Chisnall were the only top-16 players eliminated in the first round. 'Chizzy' lost 6-5 to Madars Razma after a deciding leg. Top players such as Gerwyn Price, Rob Cross, Chris Dobey and Josh Rock did qualify for the second round of this tournament.
A total of 125,000 pounds in prize money is distributed at each Players Championship tournament. The winner of the event will receive a check for 15,000 pounds.
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He contributes to DartsNews.com, where he covers professional darts through news, match reports, analysis, and live coverage across the PDC calendar and major tournaments.
A key part of his work is on-site reporting from leading events. Kieran has covered the PDC World Darts Championship in person, reporting daily from the venue and providing first-hand insight from the tournament. During his coverage, he has conducted interviews with leading players including Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Gerwyn Price.
He is also one of the leading voices of the English-language Dartsnews Podcast, contributing regular analysis and discussion on developments across the professional darts circuit.
In his reporting, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles when new, verified information becomes available.
Stephen Bunting (101) 6-1 Wesley Plaisier
Rob Cross 6-2 Krzysztof Ratajski
Daryl Gurney 6-3 Mervyn King
Martin Schindler (108) 6-2 Jamie Hughes
Danny Noppert (104.5) 6-4 Owen Roelofs
Jonny Clayton (100.3) 6-3 Ryan Meikle
Chris Dobey 6-5 Rhys Griffin
Ryan Searle 6-5 Martijn Dragt