Michael van Gerwen cannot deliver a Dutch clash to Amsterdam: ‘Right to the chin? Yes, and hard too’ | Sport

Given that Van Duijvenbode had already qualified, Van Gerwen certainly didn’t get off to a flying start against Clayton. The Welshman knew Mighty Mike break immediately in the first leg. A break that was eventually canceled out by the Dutchman in the eighth leg. Van Gerwen managed to break back and make it 4-4. It seemed like a turning point in the game, because two legs later Clayton was broken again, leaving Van Gerwen with a 6-4 lead before the break.

After that break, things went completely wrong for Van Gerwen. Clayton immediately gave a strong signal. The Welshman threw out 121 via bullseye and immediately managed to break Van Gerwen. It was the first of two consecutive breaks and no fewer than five legs in a row for Clayton, who dealt the final blow to his Dutch opponent. Clayton ran out to 9-6 and although Van Gerwen still took the sixteenth leg, it was no use. Clayton won 10-7.

After the lost Premier League evening in March against Joe Cullen in Ahoy and the early elimination against Danny Noppert during the Dutch Darts Masters in the Ziggo Dome, Van Gerwen is unable to win a tournament in his own country this year. “Very disappointing”, said Van Gerwen afterwards at viaplay. ,,This is not the most important tournament, but you want to show something for your own audience. That 121 finish hurt me a lot. Right on the chin? Yes, and hard too. He’s not in great shape and I’m on my way back, but then you have to punish that.”

Van Duijvenbode, who struggled to beat Haupai Puha 6-5 on Friday, did win earlier in the afternoon in a blistering match against Joyce. The Dutchman already delighted the audience in Amsterdam on Saturday to win 6-3 by two-time world champion Gary Anderson and after a very enthusiastic reception, Aubergenius the Dutch public again on Sunday afternoon at a wonderful party.

Van Duijvenbode gave his hero’s welcome a very appropriate follow-up in the match against Joyce, who sent the Belgian Dimitri Van den Bergh home 6-2 yesterday. Immediately in the second leg, the Dutchman managed to break Joyce, after which he took a 3-0 lead in legs. The room went crazy when Aubergenius in the eighth leg, 131 threw out two doubles 20. With that, Van Duijvenbode took a 6-2 lead.

Precisely from that moment on, the Dutchman got in trouble. Joyce fought back to 6-6 and at a score of 7-7 AFAS Live was silenced when he threw out almost 164 in a leg that Van Duijvenbode had started. Bullseye was only narrowly missed, after which Van Duijvenbode made it 8-7. At 8-8, however, the nerves struck in an unprecedented way. Van Duijvenbode missed twelve (!) darts on a double in the bizarre seventeenth leg, Joyce also missed ten, but the eleventh was hit and that seemed to be the decision.

The eighteenth leg, however, was just as sizzling as the leg before it. Joyce missed a match dart, after which Van Duijvenbode struck mercilessly. He made it 9-9 and finally won the deciding leg, which means he can take on Van Gerwen or Clayton tonight. Whether Van Duijvenbode has a preference? ,,Against both I have to get my best form and I am far from my best form so far”, said a relieved semi-finalist. So it will be Clayton.

The first match of the Sunday afternoon was between Gerwyn Price and Joe Cullen. Cullen won the Premier League evening in Rotterdam in March by beating Van Gerwen in the final, but a new victory on Dutch soil did not come in Amsterdam. Price was too strong in the quarterfinals 10-8 and will face James Wade in the semifinals, who was 10-5 too strong for Michael Smith.

Gerwyn Price – Joe Cullen 10-8
Ryan Joyce – Dirk van Duijvenbode 9-10
Michael Smith – James Wade 5-10
Michael van Gerwen – Jonny Clayton 7-10

Gerwyn Price – James Wade
Dirk van Duijvenbode – Jonny Clayton

2015: Michael van Gerwen – Peter Wright 11-10 (Glasgow)
2016: Michael van Gerwen -Peter Wright 11-9 (Glasgow)
2017: Michael van Gerwen – Gary Anderson 11-6 (Glasgow)
2018: James Wade – Michael Smith 11-10 (Vienna)
2019: Michael van Gerwen – Danny Noppert 11-2 (Amsterdam)
2020: Gerwyn Price – Rob Cross 11-9 (Salzburg)
2021: Jonny Clayton – Dimitri Van den Bergh 11-6 (Amsterdam)