Michael van Gerwen also immediately ran into defeat in the last round of the Premier League Darts on Thursday. Just like last week, De Brabander had to acknowledge his superiority in Michael Smith in his opening match: 4-6. Joe Cullen grabbed the last ticket to the playoffs.
The match between Van Gerwen and Smith in Newcastle was initially even, but in the fifth leg, the Englishman broke through with a finish of 114. ‘Bully Boy’ did not relinquish that lead in the future.
Van Gerwen recorded an average of 95.29 per three arrows and a finish percentage of 40. Smith set an average of 96.48 and hit 46.2 percent of his possible finishes.
Last week, Van Gerwen also lost to Smith in the opening round in London, then 5-6. The three-time world champion had previously secured participation in the play-offs in Berlin.
Smith also won the final round in Newcastle. The number four in the world was 6-3 too strong in the final for Jonny Clayton, who finished first in the standings. Van Gerwen was second on six points from Clayton.
Cullen took the final ticket to the playoffs by beating competitor Peter Wright 6-4. In addition to Van Gerwen, Clayton and James Wade had already qualified for the final round, which will be completed on June 13. In Berlin, Van Gerwen will face Wade in the semifinals.
For the app users: tap the tweet to see the decisive arrows in the match between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith.