Michael van Gerwen beat Luke Littler 10-6 in their highly anticipated World Matchplay first round clash on Monday.
In the 10th meeting between the sides, Van Gerwen proved his critics wrong after a disappointing run of results this year and denied Littler a first win on his Winter Gardens debut.
Van Gerwen was visibly emotional after the match and will face Joe Cullen in the second round.
“It’s always nice to play games at this level,” Van Gerwen said. “You know you’re going to play a guy who has incredible talent, but you have to accept that. You can’t let yourself get down and you have to work for things. I’m glad it paid off.”
“I had a few days off. I trained really hard every day. It means a lot to me.
“I went through a tough time, everyone knows that. Doing something good and being rewarded for your hard work is always nice.”
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Wayne Mardle discusses Michael van Gerwen’s World Matchplay first round win over Luke Littler and believes Littler was far from his best
It was a strange match overall, as Littler got the first break to lead 2-1, while Van Gerwen looked in trouble from the start.
However, the Dutchman immediately responded, then won the next three sets to lead 5-2.
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Michael van Gerwen hits a brilliant 146 checkout in his 10-6 win over Luke Littler in their World Matchplay first round match
Both players were scoring heavily, averaging around 110 midway through the match, as they shared further breaks at 6-4.
A 146 checkout from Van Gerwen to hold the throw gave him an 8-5 advantage as a now wayward Littler was unable to get back and was himself broken again in the final leg.
Smith overcomes slow start to shake off Anderson
Monday’s other big match saw Michael Smith come back from 3-0 down against Gary Anderson to win 10-5 in a battle between former world champions.
Remarkably, Smith won seven consecutive legs to lead 7-3 while Anderson appeared unhappy with some fans jeering Scotland, at one point signalling “2-1” in reference to the scoreline by which England lost to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Smith, whose best result was a second-place finish at the Matchplay in 2019, was in incredible form as he lost just two more legs.
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The best action from the final round of matches at the World Matchplay Darts from Winter Gardens, Blackpool
“I was down 3-0, I wasn’t playing well. I had two shots at 85 but what was bothering me was that I kept scoring five,” he said.
“He let me go and then I won the next five or six stages and kept going. I tried too hard (at first). I have so much respect for Gary and I thought, ‘I have to do it, I have to do it.'”
“He took control of me and then the crowd started. You could see him going quiet because it wasn’t nice. I wanted Gary and I to be at our best.”
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Gary Anderson takes a 3-0 lead against Michael Smith by winning the third leg in style with a double-double!
Smith will face Chris Dobey in the round of 16 after the player nicknamed ‘Hollywood’ beat Ritchie Edhouse in a gruelling final game of the night 10-7.
Earlier, Ryan Searle produced a classy display to knock out Australian number one Damon Heta 10-4.
What’s happening at the World Matchplay on Tuesday?
The second round begins on Tuesday at the World Matchplay, with Gerwyn Price taking on Ross Smith in the first match of the last 16 at 7pm. Live on Sky Sports Main Event and Action.
Defending champion Nathan Aspinall takes on James Wade, then world champion Luke Humphries takes on Stephen Bunting in a mouth-watering clash.
In the final match of the evening, Jonny Clayton will meet Dimitri Van den Bergh, who will be buoyed by his nine-dart this weekend.
The World Matchplay continues on Tuesday at 7pm as the second round begins live on Sky Sports Main Event and Action. Get instant access to World Matchplay for £26 with NOW.
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