World Grand Prix 2020: Michael van Gerwen too good for Devon Petersen
Written by News on 09/10/2020
Six of the eight seeds have already been dumped out of the World Grand Prix, but world No 1 Michael van Gerwen remains in the tournament after beating Devon Petersen to reach the quarter-finals.
Five-time champion Van Gerwen is unbeaten in this event since a first-round exit to John Henderson in 2017 and has reached six finals in the last eight years. He remains on course for more of the same after a 3-0 win over Petersen, who blew chances to win each of the first two sets.
Van Gerwen will face Simon Whitlock in the last eight after the Aussie, runner-up in 2017, continued to take advantage of his late entry in the tournament.
Gary Anderson beat Danny Noppert to set up a quarter-final showdown with another Dutchman and the lowest-ranked player left in the field after Dirk van Duijvenbode stunned the World Matchplay champion Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Van Gerwen punishes wasteful Petersen
Michael van Gerwen defied seven 180s from in-form Devon Petersen, who was left to reflect on missed opportunities as a World Grand Prix debut ended in a 3-0 defeat to the Dutchman.
Petersen won the pair’s last encounter, a 6-0 win at the Autumn Series in Germany, but Van Gerwen has put indifferent form behind him and having lost early at the World Matchplay and the World Series Finals, he is into the last eight of a televised tournament for the first time since the restart.
Both men played their part in a game played at a relentless pace, but Petersen had darts to win the first and second sets and was punished in very different ways.
Van Gerwen claimed the opener after Petersen had missed two darts to win the set 3-1. The Dutchman pinned double 18 to level and double 14 to get in front.
A brilliant 146 drew a deafening roar from the world No 1 as he started fast, but Petersen pegged him back and forced the second set into a decider. A nerve-shredding fifth leg saw both men fritter away their chances, five of them for Petersen, before Van Gerwen finally pinned the double to double his lead.
The Dutchman claimed a 3-0 win thanks to a dominant display in the third, once again doubling in the unique double-to-start tournament, proved to be decisive with Van Gerwen stretching his winning run in the tournament to 12 matches.
Anderson stays on course for maiden Grand Prix
Gary Anderson has never won the World Grand Prix – one of two big TV titles not on his glittering CV – but a 3-0 win over Danny Noppert featured moments of his brilliant best.
The Flying Scotsman steamrollered his way to the first set, averaging 98 and pinning three of his four darts at double to throw down a reminder of his very best form.
Anderson ploughed on, claiming the first two legs of the second set and pushing his average into three figures before Noppert finally stopped the rot and Anderson lost his way a little. Noppert pinned his first dart at double to finally get a leg on the board and, after Anderson had missed four for the set, Noppie levelled the set.
But the Scot steadied himself to claim the decider before digging deep in an edgy third.
Having gone seven darts of the way to a nine-dart finish, Anderson was forced to survive a missed dart for the set from Noppert to book his place in a sixth Grand Prix quarter-final – but he’ll be wary of having lost at this stage on three previous occasions.
Van Duijvenbode dazzles to sink Van den Bergh
Having dished out an upset of his own in the first round, Dimitri Van den Bergh was on the receiving end as Dirk van Duijvenbode continued a dream debut with a 3-1 victory and a pair of showstopping double-double finishes.
The Dutchman has not been beyond the last 32 on the televised stage but has been a strong performer on the Pro Tour this season, and he underlined that with a nerveless display that stunned the sport’s latest major champion.
Van Duijvenbode claimed the opening set, despite a 10-point difference in the averages, and punished a missed dart for the set from Van den Bergh to get his nose in front.
He nabbed the second in similar fashion as the usually nerveless Van den Bergh, who picked up his maiden major title at the World Matchplay in July, made a mess of things to open the door for his opponent.
The Dreammaker missed a host of darts to set himself up for a finish and Van Duijvenbode marched straight through with it with a clinical 86 finish to move two sets clear.
Van den Bergh edged the third set, also in a fifth leg decider but, in a tournament of surprises, world No 73 Van Duijvenbode claimed the biggest win of his career. Having missed a dart at double 16 for a brilliant 122 finish to the contest, he returned with his opponent too far back to punish him and it was the Dutchman who triumphed.
Wizard makes most of late arrival to advance
Mervyn King and Simon Whitlock have both tasted defeat in the final of this tournament, but Whitlock’s hopes of going all the way this year remain intact – taking out a host of big finishes and a fly that made its way onto the board.
King won the opener, a classy 112 finish the highlight as he came from behind to seize the early initiative.
Trailing 2-0 in the second, Whitlock roared back, a brilliant 134 finish via a pair of double tops was followed by a clinical 46 on his way to levelling the match.
However the Aussie, only in the event after Adrian Lewis returned a positive test for coronavirus on the opening day, was on the back foot throughout the third as King wrestled back the initiative to lead 2-1.
Whitlock pinned a sparkling 115 finish on his way to a two-leg advantage in the fourth and while King fought back to force a decider, it was Whitlock who claimed the set and swatted a fly away in the process after pinning a 180.
A see-saw contest that had seen all four sets go the distance went the same way in the fifth before Whitlock scrambled over the finish line to reach the last eight for the fourth time in eight years.
Darts is back on to Sky Sports throughout October with the World Grand Prix and the Premier League Play-Offs. Follow us @SkySportsDarts to stay up to date with all the news.
(c) Sky Sports 2020: World Grand Prix 2020: Michael van Gerwen too good for Devon Petersen
