The special thing about World Grand Prix of Darts is that players must start each leg with a double. This means that the average here is always low, but the tournament is slightly more susceptible to surprises. Last year, for example, the Belgian Mike De Decker was the best.
Michael van Gerwen against Dirk van Duijvenbode
The evening was partly colored by a Dutch chat between Michael van Gerwen and Dirk van Duijvenbode. Van Gerwen was considered the top favorite, but could not make it in the first set. He made far too many mistakes, where Van Duijvenbode performed excellently.
Michael van Gerwen (36) speaks out towards the World Grand Prix: ‘Undoubtedly the most difficult period of my life’
Van Gerwen was also unable to compete in set two and was broken by Van Duijvenbode. Only then did he seem to get into his rhythm. He survived a match dart and won a leg for the first time. There was a brief revival, but in the end Van Duijvenbode also won the second set with his fifth match dart, after which the story for the six-time winner Mighty Mike was out quickly.
Spectacle with Gian van Veen and Luke Littler
Gian van Veen was the first to play for the Netherlands on Tuesday against none other than world champion Luke Littler. Van Veen is one of the few players with a positive winning ratio against the young Englishman.
The two made a great match and showed in set one that if you are in shape, you can achieve an average above a hundred even in this concept. Littler was just a little sharper and stole the first set from Van Veen. Littler played almost flawlessly and also thundered through in set two. The Englishman finished with a 144 finish, after previously recording a 151 finish.
How sensational the darts was was also evident from Van Veen’s average. Despite his defeat, he recorded an average of 106.47: a record at World Grand Prix
Danny Noppert
Danny Noppert already reached the last sixteen on Monday. He defeated Jermaine Wattimena 2-1. He faces Stephen Bunting on Wednesday.