The Brabant darts player quickly stood up after his defeat ViaPlay to speak. “If all goes well, you can also be 7-3 ahead here. He plays one of his better matches on stage. Then you keep chasing after it and I’m already not in the best phase of my life. Normally he doesn’t do this. He played a great match to hurt me. And you want to give that back, but if you don’t take your chances, then that sucks.”
Noppert also responded to his strong performance. He considered himself ‘good’. “But not in the end. I’m throwing well for three quarters of the game. And then the last quarter was very mediocre. No shivering, but a little easier thinking. Relaxation came in, and I don’t want that. But I am very satisfied. Put in a good match. Big happy.”
High-quality start
Van Gerwen himself started phenomenally, with a 12-darter and a throw at 170. BigFishso. Two legs later, however, ‘Mighty Mike’ got one himself BigFish around the ears of TheFreeze: 1-2 for the Frisian. Noppert continued furiously and beautifully reached 1-3. The break was reached at 2-3, after a 160 throw from Van Gerwen. Both dart players threw at a high level.
After tea, Noppert quickly reached 2-4. It was hard to keep going for the darts player from Vlijmen, despite an average of 108 at that time: 3-4. Noppert threw unparalleled, despite the pressure from Van Gerwen and reached 3-5 with a double 20.
Sprinkle at 180
Mighty Mike Fortunately for him, he also continued to throw around 180’ers and stayed in the wake of TheFreeze. Van Gerwen had a chance to make it 5-5, but missed. Noppert then scored: 4-6. The only difference so far was Noppert’s break with the 170 finish. Mighty Mike had meanwhile broken the record for the most 180’s at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Speaking of breaking: there had not been many breaking opportunities on either side. Van Gerwen immediately came back to 5-6. With double 2 it then became 5-7. The finish line was in sight for Noppert, who kept throwing fantastically. He broke Van Gerwen and came to 5-8.
‘Mighty Mike’ also seemed mentally broken. Noppert went to 5-9. Only one more leg to go for him. The first match dart was missed by Noppert. Van Gerwen therefore came back to 6-9. A choke-leg from Noppert – he threw almost nothing – almost brought Van Gerwen to 7-9. Would it? No, because Van Gerwen missed and Noppert didn’t miss again: 6-10. TheFreeze to the quarter-finals.
Luke Littler does not have a child with Wessel Nijman
Second seed Luke Littler defeated Wessel Nijman with ease in the second round of the Grand Slam of Darts: 10-4.
Luke Littler. © ANP/HH
Nijman was wiped off the dartboard in the first five legs. It was 5-0 at the break. But the Dutchman recovered and came back to 5-2. But Nijman continued to do well, but found itself trailing 7-3 at the second break.
Nijman was no longer able to turn the game around. In the end it became 10-4.