Michael van Gerwen has won the Austrian Darts Open for the fourth time. After winning the final, the darts player from Vlijmen was proud of his performance in Austria, where he was 8-5 too strong for compatriot Danny Noppert in the final.
Van Gerwen started the tournament on Saturday with a 6-5 win over James Wade, who eliminated him in the first match of the evening on Thursday during the twelfth round in the Premier League. On Sunday, victories over Dirk van Duijvenbode (6-1) and Stephan Bunting (7-5) followed for the final.
In the final Van Gerwen started fantastic, he rushed to a 3-0 lead. However, Noppert fought his way back into the game. He even came back on par with Mighty Mike. The two then went up to 5-5, from that moment Van Gerwen distanced himself and the Brabander was able to call himself the winner of the Austrian Darts Open again.
“They were phenomenal, not just for me but for everyone in the tournament.”
The last time Van Gerwen won the tournament in Graz was in 2019. Now, three years later, he is the best again. The tournament was canceled in the intervening years. “We had to wait a long time before we were allowed to play this tournament again”, said ‘MvG’ after the won final. “But with this crowd, it was worth the wait. The fans have been phenomenal, not just for me but for everyone in the tournament.”
After he hit the winning double, he took a moment with the dart fans present after the well-known scream of discharge. Van Gerwen was visibly happy with the victory over Noppert and the accompanying title. “It was really difficult to perform on the podium because of the heat. It makes me even more proud of myself for taking this victory.”
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Van Gerwen, who has only lost a match at the Austrian Darts Open twice in his career, is increasingly coming off the podium as the winner. Where he won only two tournaments in 2021 with one Players Championship tournament and the Nordic Darts Masters, Austria’s victory was number four this calendar year.
“I always put pressure on my shoulders, winning this title means a lot.”
The Austrian Darts Open is part of the European Tour. “I always want to win, I always put pressure on my shoulders, so to win this title means a lot,” said Van Gerwen about the win. The current number three in the world, who can add 25,000 pounds (30,000 euros) with the win, now has a total of 34 European Tour titles to his name.
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