Michael van Gerwen ended Luke Littler’s Triple Crown dreams while sporting a fresh tan from his holiday in Ibiza.
Van Gerwen and Littler battled it out in Blackpool in a superstar first-round draw at the World Matchplay on Monday, with the Dutchman proving triumphant.
The Green Machine claimed a 10-6 victory, including a 146 checkout, to set up a second-round tie against Josh Cullen on Wednesday.
Littler was furious, walking off stage as Van Gerwen pumped up the Winter Gardens crowd as he kept his hopes alive for silverware this year.
But the trip to Blackpool must have been quite sobering for the Dutchman, who had just returned from his holidays in Ibiza to cool down after a long Premier League season where ‘The Nuke’ emerged victorious.
Speaking to talkSPORT, MVG said: “I had a nice few days away in Ibiza with my family, as it has been quite a stressful period these past few months, to cool down.
“To go into the next round after a good win against Luke Littler, yeah it has given me a lot of joy.
“My head was there. I was cool, the will to win was there, the total package was there, and that is important.”
Van Gerwen was beaten by Luke Humphries in the semi-finals of the Premier League after reaching the play-offs before Littler won the whole thing in his debut season.
Having landed the first jewel of the Triple Crown, the World Matchplay would have been in his sights, as well as the World Championship later this year, with the three tournaments seen as the biggest trio of PDC events.
But Van Gerwen put a stop to that dream as he looks to reclaim his own Matchplay crown, having crashed out of the first round himself last year to Brendan Dolan.
The 35-year-old, who won the World Matchplay in 2022, said: “It is always nice, especially when you get an important win out of the way and we all knew there was a lot of pressure on this game.
“To win this one is a good feeling. It really did feel good.
“You go into the tournament and you get a tough draw but the same counts for him, of course.
“You know you have to show a performance and I’m glad I was able to do it.
“I was in control, I was cool, I am there to win a game. I love to do what I like the most which is to perform on the big stage against the big players, but to do it is a different story.”
News Summary:
- Darts star Michael van Gerwen prepared for Luke Littler match and World Matchplay assault with Ibiza trip
- Check all news and articles from the latest Football updates.