Michael van Gerwen has dealt with Gary Anderson quite easily in the first round of the World Grand Prix. The five-time winner of the Major tournament defeated the Scottish former world champion in two sets.
At the World Grand Prix, a darts player must start and finish with a double. But that was something that both darters struggled with. In the first set a lot of arrows on a double were missed. De Brabander was the sharpest of the two in the end, but he could not be satisfied after the first set, which was won 3-0.
In the second set, the two darters were evenly matched and, above all, they finished better. Where Gary Anderson missed 11 darts on a finishing double in the first leg, things went much better now. The Scot broke the Dutchman and seemed to win the second set.
106 finish
But Van Gerwen seemed to be shaken up after the break and started throwing very strong. He broke the shot back and dragged into the second set with a 106 finish. The second round awaits the Brabant darter on Wednesday. Stephen Bunting awaits in that eighth final.
Van Gerwen has already won the World Grand Prix (one of the most important tournaments of the year) five times before.