Gian van Veen, who missed the previous Premier League night due to illness, wanted to collect important points for the playoff places in the last quarter-final game. His opponent was the Welshman Gerwyn Price. However, he gave van Veen no chance and won the first 5 legs in a row. With a high finish of 113 to make it 5:1, the Dutchman sent a small sign of life. However, when Price had the opportunity to win the game, van Veen put his darts away before the match dart was even in the board.
The emotional victory in the quarter-finals was followed by a semi-final against Michael van Gerwen for Josh Rock. The Northern Irishman also started this game with a perfect 180 and won the first leg. After that, however, he played more against himself than against van Gerwen.
He repeatedly failed on the double fields, so van Gerwen was able to take a 3-1 lead despite a significantly worse average. Even the connection to 2:4 a few minutes later ultimately didn’t bring Rock back to winning ways. The hit rate of 18 percent on the doubles cost him the victory and van Gerwen moved into the final after a 6:3.
In the new edition of the semi-final of the previous week, in which Luke Littler had turned a 1:5 deficit into a 6:5, Price wanted to take revenge this time. At the beginning it was an open exchange of blows at eye level. In the first seven legs, the player who threw the first dart in each leg always won. A spectacular finish at 154 rest by Price even seemed to swing the momentum towards “Ice Man”. But in the final minutes Littler was able to get the match back on his side and win 6:4.
In the final, world number four, Michael van Gerwen, met world number one, Luke Littler. Both played a high average from the start, but Littler was able to take advantage of more moments at the beginning. It was only when the team was 0-3 behind that van Gerwen showed signs of life. “Mighty Mike” checked 124 via the “Bull’s Eye” and also shone in the legs afterwards, equalizing Littler’s lead – 3:3.
The seventh leg of the match was also a hard-fought one, with the better end for Littler. Now the “Littler Show” began: Twice within three legs, Luke Littler was able to check the biggest finish in darts, the 170, the so-called “Big Fish”, to win a leg. First to 5:3 and then to 6:4, which also meant victory. Littler brought the hall to its feet and celebrated himself with his typical “fishing gesture”.
