Van Gerwen started the duel with Smith moderately. Mighty Mike immediately gave away his own leg and thus fell 0-1 behind. Smith, supported by the home crowd, was unable to capitalize on that break. Van Gerwen immediately managed to break his opponent back, after which the Dutchman ran out to a simple 6-3 victory.
In the next round, Van Gerwen will meet a major opponent: the Welshman Jonny Clayton. He easily won his match in the first round 6-1 against Australian Mal Cuming. The Australian and New Zealander darts were also not very successful in the other matches. Joe Cullen beat Damon Heta 6-2, James Wade 6-5 against Gordon Mathers and Michael Smith 6-3 against Warren Parry. Kayden Milne was able to take advantage of the home advantage and beat Fallon Sherrock 6-5.
Tomorrow the quarterfinals, semifinals and final will take place in New Zealand. Van Gerwen recently won the Queensland Darts Masters, after which he was eliminated directly in the first round at the New South Wales Darts Masters by home player Simon Whitlock.