Van Gerwen said before the game, he didn't want to be bothered by Dolan's slow play. But in reality he was left frustrated by it, the world number one admitted afterwards.

“One thing I was not planning to do was annoy myself over his game. He’s not the most pleasant player to play against. 95% of the field admit that to me," he said to Online Darts.

In terms of the lack of crowd, he admitted difficulty; as well as shock that he could still hit the heights: “It’s very new circumstances for everyone; it’s difficult to handle. I’m still glad that I managed a 100 average nearly. I don’t know how!”

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