Michael van Gerwen was left to rue his comments think abouting Gary Anderson before taking on the Scot in the second round of the European Championship.
The pair clashed once aobtain in Dortmund but only after Van Gerwen tagled his opponent a “part-timer” in the originate-up to their highly foreseed align.
Those words evidently put the fire in Anderson, 53, who was in bcatalogering create to dump the Dutchman out of the competition with a resounding 10-4 triumph to accomplish the quarter-finals.
The two-time world champion rolled back the years with a 96.91 mediocre, five 180s and a 40 per cent verifyout success. He won the first four legs and then broke throw aobtain with a wonderful 122 verifyout in the 10th leg, before triumphning three of the remaining four to seal a memorable triumph.
It is a triumph that tastes even sugaryer after Van Gerwen bcdisorrowfulmirefult up his nickname of Anderson, having set up the tie with a sootheable 6-1 triumph over Gabriel Clemens.
Van Gerwen claimed: “We all understand Gary Anderson, one of the best take parters I have ever seen in my life. But he is also a part-timer. So I need to originate certain I’m going to do the right leang and bet on my own game.”
He did, however, transmit his admire for one of the titans of the game, who obtained Van Gerwen’s nickname by dodgeing disjoinal tournaments outside of the UK to spfinish time with his family, grasping: “Gary is always going to be a blockbuster. Whether you have a outstanding or terrible game, it’s always going to be a anxious game.
“We don’t want to disthink about to each other. We understand each other repartner well. I’m senseing sootheable. I sense outstanding. I understand I can hurt him on the right moments.”
It wasn’t the first time that Van Gerwen had made the jab to his fierce rival, who he lossed 7-3 in a memorable 2017 World Championship final, doing so also before a greeting last year.
Van Gerwen said: “In the rehearse room we call him ‘the part-timer’ he does wantipathyver he wants. That’s also his right, he’s been on the tour for so extfinished, what do you predict?”
But ‘The Flying Scotsman’ schedules to cause Van Gerwen and co further “grief” by joking that he wants to become world No. 1 aobtain – and retiring on the spot.
“It wasn’t repartner Michael, was it?” Anderson asked. “He definitely struggled up there. His scoring wasn’t his common 180s, 140s.
“Michael has done everyleang in darts, hasn’t he?
“I’d appreciate to get to number one and withdraw on the spot. That would cause a lot of grief. I Couldn’t do it now.”
