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Winmau MvG Diamond Edition Dartboard

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Van Gerwen was left less than impressed by the turn of events, which follows on from his Dutch compatriot Vincent van der Voort having also tested positive and being forced into isolation. “Of course our health is the most important thing, but you are here to win the tournament,” Van Gerwen told the Dutch media outlet AD Sportwereld. “I never saw this coming. Vincent and I have been almost nowhere. We didn’t even go to the breakfast room [at the hotel], because we thought it was too busy there.

Two-time winner James Wade – one of five former champions in the field – is also part of a stellar opening night line-up, as he takes on Poland’s premier player Krzysztof Ratajski. Three-time Grand Slam champion Gerwyn Price swept aside Nathan Rafferty 5-1 in his Group D opener, in a contest which saw the pair trade spectacular 164 and 167 combination finishes. It’s still been a great tournament for Van Gerwen, who played his best darts in maybe five years, but in the end he met somebody who could live with his scoring and even surpass it. Smith wasn’t always at his best in this tournament – he was 3-1 down to Martin Schindler in the last 32 – but he peaked when it mattered. It is hard enough to win a ProTour, never mind a TV tournament, but I believe it is going to come one day, and hopefully it comes this week.

Grand Slam of Darts results

Of course, not everyone warms to Van Gerwen. Mervyn King, one of his middle-aged opponents, suggested that the wild celebrations were “disrespectful”. Van Gerwen, now looking like a bulldog which has swallowed that pesky old wasp, shrugs. “Maybe. But I don’t care what people think. I just need to be me. 100%. They are always looking for excuses. So I don’t worry about them. I just love the Ally Pally atmosphere. Everyone’s in a good mood because it’s Christmas and New Year. I love playing for the big crowds and, yeah, I like to celebrate when I win. I don’t see the problem.” Beau completely outscored me in that match. She was fantastic; she's a credit to the women’s game and a credit to darts as a whole."

Van Gerwen continues his march towards a sixth World Grand Prix title as four successive 100+ visits leaves him 56, which he takes out on tops to go 3-0 up in sets. Only three legs so far have been won in over 15 legs by either player. Incredible standard! Thankfully I’ve been scoring well and those crucial doubles have been going in, because on another day it could have been a different story. The final begins at around 1945 BST so between now and then we'll run through the routes to the final, tournament statistics, head-to-head records and some predictions. The way his confidence is growing, I wouldn't be that surprised if he can post 100+ in a World Grand Prix final for the second time in his career having last emulated Phil Taylor's historic feat in the 2016 edition, when winning his third of five titles.You don’t need to know much about darts when watching Van Gerwen to sense a rare talent at work. He still only has one world championship to compare to Phil Taylor’s imperious 16 titles, but not even the greatest darts player in history can match the surreal euphoria generated by Mighty Mike.

Michael wasn’t at his best today. He missed a couple of doubles and those crucial doubles have got to go in if you want to win tournaments. Anderson celebrated his second ranking title of the year in Friday’s Players Championship 24, having produced a series of breath-taking displays throughout last week’s ProTour treble-header. In response to Van Gerwen’s comments, the PDC said in a statement on Tuesday evening: “We hope both Vincent and Michael remain in good health and share their disappointment that they were unable to continue in the tournament. We won’t comment on individual players’ circumstances and we continue to follow approved protocols at the World Darts Championship, which includes testing for all players involved in the event.”

Dartboard with a difference

It might seem mildly disturbing to hear a darts player talking about his “brand” but there is nothing contrived about Van Gerwen’s blistering talent or explosive celebrations. “It’s just me,” he says with a final shrug. “The Bulldog has gone. It’s 100% Mighty Mike.” Gary Anderson is another former finalist in action on Monday, and the Scottish stalwart has been drawn against Portugal’s Jose de Sousa in an intriguing first round contest. After a year in which he became world champion and got married, in August, Van Gerwen deserves a break to reflect on his unlikely life. “It’s strange,” he admits. “Until I was 12 I played football. I was supposed to be a defender. But I really was a little Michelin Man walking around the field. It was horrible – especially when it was cold. I’m more a summer person.” When I was 4-0 down I just wanted to win a set and give him a bit of a game, and I did that. I wanted to make him win it, and he did. The Asp looks as though he's carved out a pressure-free dart at a double to break MVG until the Dutchman throws a 180 to leave himself 30 - but nevertheless he pins double 16 with his first attempt for a classy and nerveless 13 darter.

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