“There’s not many players that will beat Michael van Gerwen 6-0!" But Daryl Gurney insists he won't get carried away

Although he's a two time major winner, Daryl Gurney's incredible first round victory over Michael van Gerwen at the 2024 World Grand Prix on Tuesday evening in Leicester, might go down as one of 'SuperChin's best ever performances.

The former World Grand Prix champion completely dismantled the mighty Dutchman without even allowing 'MVG' the opportunity to register a single leg in the entire contest as the Northern Irishman reeled off six legs in succession to complete a stunning whitewash victory over the world number three.

“There’s not many players that will beat Michael van Gerwen 6-0! But I won’t be getting too carried away,” declared Gurney, the 2017 World Grand Prix champion in his post-match press conference, attempting to keep his feet firmly on the ground, despite the magnificence of his victory. "It's not about the whitewash. It's about the win."

Nevertheless, whilst Gurney is playing it cool for now, the 38-year-old is growing in confidence that a return to the kind of form that saw him compete in the Premier League, take victory at the aforementioned 2017 World Grand Prix and the 2018 Players Championship Finals, plus crack the top 5 in the PDC Order of Merit, isn't too far away. “I’m playing well and I have been for the last couple of months," he insists. “I have been beating players on the stage that I haven’t beaten for a couple of years – Dave Chisnall, Nathan Aspinall, Gerwyn Price and now Michael, so that gives me a bit more belief.”

In the second round, Gurney is rewarded for his victory over Van Gerwen with a second round showdown against Joe Cullen, who showed signs of his own return to form in coming back from a set down to defeat Chris Dobey 2-1 on Tuesday night.