For Arno Merk it’s over in the 3rd round of the Darts World Cup at his premiere. The tormentor had to admit defeat to the Dutchman Michael van Gerwen on Sunday evening.
The Darts World Cup adventure is over for Merk: The last remaining German participant lost 1:4 in his debut participation to the Dutchman Michael van Gerwen after the 3rd round.
Nevertheless, Merk, who described his first trip to the “Ally Pally” as a “romance”, should be extremely satisfied with his tournament performance. He himself would hardly have imagined such a success story.
Note: “You can feel Michael’s aura”
“You can already feel Michael’s aura,” said Merk after the game on “Dazn”. “I couldn’t play so freely. He played great, everything is fine. I’m happy with my game.”
Merk also has to start the journey home. From a German perspective, Gabriel Clemens (against Luke Humphries), Martin Schindler (against Ryan Searle) and Ricardo Pietreczko (against Andreas Harrysson) had already been eliminated in the third round.
Van Gerwen with a great start
Van Gerwen started as if he wanted to make short work of his opponent. The first two legs of the game clearly went to the Dutchman. Merk needed a few moments to really get into the game. But the third leg was his and he showed that he wanted to play on an equal footing. However, van Gerwen secured the fourth leg again, meaning the first set was quickly over in favor of the favorite.
While van Gerwen initially showed no nervousness during his 19 World Cup participation, the premiere at the Darts World Cup continued to be an extraordinary event for the Peiner native. And that was also noticeable in the second sentence.
Take note Performance increase
The three-time world champion van Gerwen played at a consistently high level – with a few wobbles. Merk struggled to get to this level. The Dutchman achieved his third 180 in the second leg. The result: the 36-year-old won three legs in a row, which meant a 2-0 lead in the set.
Too strong: 36-year-old Michael van Gerwen
Merk urgently needed an increase in performance – and he succeeded. He achieved a first high finish with 145 points in the first leg of the third set and returned to the match. The second leg was lost, but Merk was there again in the third leg and secured it. The 33-year-old had now fully arrived, had overcome his initial nervousness and won the fourth leg and thus his first set.
Van Gerwen too strong
Merk also presented himself in the third set at eye level and had the chance to extend the lead to 2-1, but he didn’t hit the bulls eye to finish. His opponent didn’t miss this opportunity and took the leg. And the next leg also went to van Gerwen, who took the lead 3-1 after sets.
In the fifth set, van Gerwen left nothing to be desired. Merk tried everything and averaged over 90 points. But that should only be enough for one leg and no more sets. He won the fourth set with 3:1 legs – and thus a well-deserved victory.