Michael van Gerwen reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay in Blackpool on Thursday. De Brabander was 16-14 too strong for Nathan Aspinall in an exciting battle in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-final battle, Van Gerwen will face Dimitri Van den Bergh. The Belgian eliminated defending champion Peter Wright earlier in the evening: 16-14.
In the quarterfinals, Van Gerwen seemed to convincingly deal with Aspinall, but the Englishman’s comeback made it even more exciting.
At 3-3, Van Gerwen won five legs in a row and moments later it was 11-4. Aspinall did something back by winning three legs in a row.
Van Gerwen also kept a large lead for a long time, but was unable to throw out the match. So it was 15-14, after which Van Gerwen put things in order. He finished the game by throwing out 146.
Van Gerwen won in 2015 and 2016
Van Gerwen plays his first tournament in less than a month in Blackpool. He underwent surgery on his throwing arm in June. Ten days later, the number four in the world made his comeback at the Dutch Darts Masters, where he was immediately eliminated. He then withdrew from the European Darts Matchplay.
33-year-old Van Gerwen won the World Matchplay in 2015 and 2016. Last year he lost in the semifinals to the later winner Peter Wright.
In addition to Van Gerwen, two more Dutchmen are participating in the World Matchplay with Dirk van Duijvenbode and Danny Noppert. They will face each other in the quarterfinals on Friday.
