"This is just a good draw'' - Vincent van der Voort foresees no problems for Michael van Gerwen in World Darts Championship quarterfinals

Michael van Gerwen will take on Scott Williams in the quarterfinals of the World Darts Championship on Monday night. His best friend Vincent van der Voort does not think this will be a problem for 'MVG'.

Van Gerwen won easily over Stephen Bunting in the last sixteen. "Michael put so much pressure on Bunting beforehand that he almost thought he had to throw 107 average again. That pressure is there anyway because of Van Gerwen's status and also what he says in his interviews. He always says: you have to win against me first if you want to get far. Bunting knew immediately what to expect and as a player you just have to deal with that", said Van der Voort to Sportnieuws.nl.

"People are often not very good against Michael because of the tension. That's because you feel that you have to perform continuously and that you can't make a mistake. That otherwise you just don't win. When Bunting plays against Dave Chisnall, he knows he has a chance and against Van Gerwen he knows he can't miss a chance. That every double has to go and he just has to keep bracing. That's the difference."

A duel with the flamboyant Scott Williams awaits in the quarterfinals. "Yeah, I like that behavior," Van der Voort said. "I get that it bothers people, but I prefer this to someone who just walks back and forth and does nothing. He just sees it as entertainment and I also don't think he's someone who can be focused for seven sets. He needs some distraction now and then."

Williams caused controversy earlier in the tournament for making a misplaced joke about the World Wars after his third-round victory over Martin Schindler. "I know a lot of people are offended and offended by that. But I'm like, it's a joke. And he's not standing around giving a monologue about very serious things. You shouldn't take this too hard. When it comes to wars, people quickly get sentimental. It's just a joke. Whether it is a good joke or a bad joke is irrelevant. In any case, he had no intention of offending anyone."

Van der Voort by no means thinks Williams will be a problem for Van Gerwen. "If Michael plays like he did against Bunting he will win against Williams. It's someone you have to watch out for. He also plays really well and you can see he enjoys it. But I do think this is a good draw for Van Gerwen."