S Poddar
Michael van Gerwen secured a 10-6 victory against young contender Luke Littler in the opening round of the World Matchplay in Blackpool.
Despite a challenging 2024 season, the three-time world champion demonstrated flashes of his renowned skill, overcoming Littler, who struggled to find his rhythm despite winning a ranking event each month this year. The match saw both players exchange early breaks, but Van Gerwen held leads of 3-2 and 6-4 at the intervals, ultimately finishing with a 101.93 average and a 43.5% checkout rate.
Van Gerwen, set to face Joe Cullen in the next round, expressed relief and satisfaction at his performance, saying, “This means a lot to me because I’ve been going through a rough time. To actually do something good and be rewarded for all your hard work is always nice.”
In other matches, third seed Michael Smith defeated Gary Anderson 10-5. Smith, the 2023 world champion, overcame an early deficit to win seven consecutive legs. The crowd’s chants targeting Anderson led to a spirited response from the Scot, highlighting the lively atmosphere. Smith will next face Chris Dobey, who edged out Ritchie Edhouse 10-7 in a closely contested game.
Ryan Searle of Somerset turned around a 2-0 deficit to beat Australia’s Damon Heta 10-4, setting up a clash with 2018 world champion Rob Cross. Luke Humphries and defending champion Nathan Aspinall also progressed with wins over Ricardo Pietreczko and Luke Woodhouse, respectively.
The tournament saw some upsets, with former champion Peter Wright losing 10-5 to Andrew Gilding and seventh seed Dave Chisnall falling 10-2 to Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski.
