Michael van Gerwen finally returned to ProTour action and darts as a whole after some time off since July, but safe to say it has not been a good week for the Green Machine.
ADVERTISEMENT
Van Gerwen has been dumped out again early and for the second day in a row in the first round at Players Championship 21. This time, it was Graham Hall accounting for him.
It was a 6-4 win for Hall and with Van Gerwen next in action in Amsterdam next weekend, it will be a week to forget and move on to the next TV tournament.
Albeit for the other big names, it was fairly smooth sailing. Of the big seeds, only Damon Heta and Dave Chisnall lost out in the top 16. Gerwyn Price starred with a 108 average, while Dirk van Duijvenbode and Michael Smith also hit 104+.
Luke Humphries aims to make it back-to-back and eased through his assignment against Jeffrey de Zwaan, while after also having an awful few days, Peter Wright saw off Ian White 6-3.
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.
#PC21 R1 Results 📋
Florian Hempel (100.2) 6-2 Dave Chisnall
Ross Smith 6-3 Ryan Joyce
John Henderson 6-3 Jonny Clayton
Graham Hall 6-4 Michael van Gerwen
Gerwyn Price (108.6) 6-0 Cameron Menzies
Joe Cullen 6-1 James Wilson
Dirk van Duijvenbode (104.5) 6-1 Dylan Slevin