Michael van Gerwen made it back-to-back Premier League nightly victories as Luke Littler was beaten in a quarter-final thriller in Glasgow.
Reigning and seven-time Premier League champion Van Gerwen continued his strong start to the season by following up last week’s Berlin success with another superb night at the OVO Hydro.
Van Gerwen overcame a trio of world champions in Peter Wright, Rob Cross and Luke Humphries to scoop the £10,000 bonus in Glasgow and extend his lead at the top of the league table to three points.
“It’s good to get another win,” said Van Gerwen. “Even without my best performance I think I did a great job and sometimes that’s really important.
“At the beginning of the [final] I had chances. Double six let me down tonight but outside that I think my finishing and the way I played the game was a really good standard.
“I think I did everything at the right moment. You play against the best players in the world and you want to perform – you don’t want to let yourself down.
“Of course, I didn’t play the best game that I could but still you need to find a way how to win and that’s what I did today.”
Van Gerwen punished home favourite Wright for 17 missed doubles in their quarter-final contest – including in four straight legs as he opened up a 5-1 lead and closed out a 6-2 victory.
He then landed a 10-darter during a 6-4 semi-final win over Cross, averaging 99 as he remained on course to follow up his Berlin win with another triumph.
The decider between the world’s top two ranked players proved a thrilling affair, with Van Gerwen hitting an 11-darter in a last-leg decider to complete a memorable Glasgow win.
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Van Gerwen won three league nights during the 2023 season before securing the overall title in the Play-Offs, but is refusing to look too far ahead at this stage of the year.
“Last year I said to myself that I want to win so many weeks, I want do this, do that, win so many majors but this year I’ll do it different,” he added.
“I’m going to look week by week, game by game and see what happens, because then I think I’m at my best.
“I’ve put so much pressure on my shoulders over the last years and I do well in some tournaments, but for me more importantly I need to look ahead myself and I need to make sure I do the right things at the right moment.”
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Teenage sensation Littler made an early exit after a thrilling battle with Gerwyn Price.
The 17-year-old was given a great reception by the crowd but the Welshman stood strong.
Price just missed double 12 for a nine-darter at 3-2 down but came back to level at 3-3.
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Littler went 4-3 up but again Price came back to win the next two legs before the Warrington ace levelled at 5-5. However, Welshman Price won 6-5 to set up a semi-final against Humphries, who beat Nathan Aspinall 6-3.
Stockport thrower Aspinall missed double 12 for a nine-darter in leg two but led 3-1 before the world No 1 reeled off five straight legs.
The 29-year-old also averaged over 100 in his semi-final win over Price, edging out ‘The Iceman’ 6-3 to reach his first nightly final after seeing a second opponent of the night off-target on double 12 for a perfect leg.
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Cross was the night’s other quarter-final winner as he denied Michael Smith, following up an earlier 11-darter and a 116 finish with a superb match-winning 144 checkout.
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Premier League Darts heads to Newcastle’s Utilita Arena next Thursday night.
Price stars on Night Four as he takes on Van Gerwen in a repeat of last year’s final, while 17-year-old Littler faces Wright, Smith goes up against Aspinall and Cross battles World Champion Humphries.
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Premier League Darts continues on Sky Sports on Thursday, February 12 with Newcastle the next stop on the 17-week extravaganza all the way through to the Play-Offs at the O2 Arena in London on Thursday, May 23. Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract through NOW
Source : Sky Sports
