Michael van Gerwen has won the European Darts Open in Leverkusen. The number 3 in the world from Vlijmen was the boss in Germany in the final, the Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh with 8-5.
Van Gerwen was allowed to start the match, but it was Van den Bergh who managed to write the first leg to his name. After MvG took away with three legs in a row, the Belgian number nine in the world came back to 3-3. The real difference was made with a 6-5 lead for Van Gerwen, who took the win from that point with two legs won.
“It was really tough, I’m glad I won”, Van Gerwen said to Van den Bergh after the final. “Dmitri is a phenomenal player, he always pushes me. He is a good player and a good guy. Sometimes he is a bit naive, but I like him and I think he is good for darts.”
Just like a week ago after his tournament victory in Graz, Austria, Van Gerwen was full of praise for the fanatical people in the room. “The crowd was phenomenal today and I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s always great in Leverkusen.”
That last comment is not crazy coming from Van Gerwen’s mouth. The European Darts Open has been canceled for the past two years, but in 2018 and 2019 he was also the strongest in Leverkusen. This tournament win was the third in a row for the former number one in the world.
Road to the final
Van Gerwen started the tournament in Germany in an impressive way on Saturday. Daryl Gurney was defeated 6-3, with the best Dutch darts player throwing an average of more than 113. He started the final day on Sunday with a victory over Jonny Clayton, the Premier League leader who stepped off the podium as winner last Thursday when the two men faced each other in the final of the thirteenth round of the Premier League.
In the quarterfinals, Van Gerwen survived no fewer than seven match darts against Dirk van Duijvenbode. It ended up being 6-5 for Mighty Mike, who defeated Luke Humphries 7-2 in the last four. For Van Gerwen (33) it was his third European Tour title of the year and his 35th in total. He was already the best in Hildesheim and Graz in 2022.