"Schindler was simply angry that he lost, but there was nothing he could do here": Michael van Gerwen still 'vulnerable' but 122 average gleams encouraging signs

After inconsistent performances in the opening months of the new season, Michael van Gerwen delivered a powerful response in Leicester on Tuesday. The Dutchman captured his first ranking title of 2026 during Players Championship 15 and did so in impressive fashion. His sensational semifinal against Martin Schindler, in particular, made a big splash across the darts world.

Van Gerwen won that match 7-0 and posted an average of no less than 122.34. That brought him perilously close to the ProTour world record. Close friend Vincent van der Voort also watched in admiration as the three-time world champion put on a show.

“He played brilliantly; from the last 16 onward he never dropped below a 100 average. The standout was that 122, superb. This will also give him a great feeling, that things finally fell his way,” said Van der Voort on the podcast Darts Draait Door.

According to Van der Voort, Van Gerwen’s resurgence did not come completely out of nowhere. The former professional had already seen signs in recent weeks that ‘Mighty Mike’s’ level was gradually rising again, even if the results often failed to materialize.

“We’ve seen quite a lot of good things from him in recent weeks, but the results didn’t come because he often lost unluckily. This time the start of the day wasn’t great either, but it kept getting better.”

Still, Van der Voort does not want to suggest that Van Gerwen is suddenly untouchable again on the ProTour. “It’s not as if he’s no longer vulnerable. But everything fell his way. Then you see what he’s capable of, and that’s impressive.”

The semifinal against Schindler especially stuck with the former UK Open finalist. The German averaged well over 108 himself, yet never got a look in against a rampant Van Gerwen.

“Unreal,” said Van der Voort. “Great to hear people say this was finally his level again. That isn’t his standard, you know,” he laughed. “Man, that was good. Fantastic, I really enjoyed it. Schindler was simply angry that he lost, but there was nothing he could do here. You run into that sometimes.”

After his display against Schindler, Van Gerwen carried that form into the final, where he beat Dirk van Duijvenbode 8-5. For Van Duijvenbode, that run to the final was also a major boost after a difficult spell on the ProTour.

Van der Voort was particularly pleased to see that Van Duijvenbode refused to roll over. “A nice result for him, a final like that. He was due one, and he could really use this.”

With Van Gerwen’s tournament win, the Netherlands delivered a third different floor winner in a row. Earlier, Kevin Doets and Wessel Nijman had already claimed a Players Championship title.

According to Van der Voort, that’s a positive sign for Dutch darts, though he mainly hopes that form will soon translate into success on television. “That’s great, but now we have to hope we’ve got something to cheer about at the TV events too.”

Finally, Van der Voort briefly expressed his admiration for Nijman’s current form, with the youngster having grown into one of the most dominant players on the ProTour in recent months. “There’s just no stopping Nijman.”