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Michael van Gerwen was pleased with his suffering
Michael van Gerwen was pleased with his suffering
Some of Michael van Gerwen ‘s output at Alexandra Palace has gone down as full – time classes.
His 2018 loss to Rob Cross and his 2016 loss at the hands of Raymond van Barneveld are considered among the greatest darts games ever.
On Tuesday night, the Green Machine was involved in another anthology on the night, this time against Joe Cullen. The world drew number one 1-3 and survived in two matchups before going through in a final decision.
The Dutchman fought through, but felt for his opponent who had fallen at the end.
“I’ve been in that situation many times. It’s awful,” MVG said.
“But at the end of the day, you have to try to get the most out of it, and then it can strengthen you. [If] you don’t admit what you did wrong, then you regret it. But if you admit that ‘I could have done better there, here and there’, it will eventually get you stronger.
“I wish him every success, as he is an amazing lad and a very talented player. I’m so glad I won this one.
“I’ll never give up. I’ll fight. I’m still here, don’t worry!”
Cullen was left to miss opportunities
It was a tit-for-tat contest, and it could have gone awry.
“I made too many mistakes. I knew … it was 3-1 up, but I could be 3-1 up too,” the three-time world champion said.
“I said to myself, ‘I know his game’. Sometimes he throws them away, he usually doesn’t hit 19 180s. He played amazingly. Oh my God! He put me under weight loads sometimes.I had to do everything I could to beat it.
“After the break, I came back strong with a lot of confidence still, which you need if you want to win and stay in this tournament. I’m so glad I did. he could make it into the end.
“He had a chance to hit me; two match matches on the bullseye. How well he played, early doors! His scoring power was amazing. I had to keep up with him. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t feel so nice and I did [against Ricky Evans] but I still felt okay. The pressure, I did not expect. I know he can play well, but to always do that for five sets in a row, I didn’t know he could.
“I always say, Joe Cullen is one of the most talented players I know. But he’s not doing anything with it yet. I keep telling him, we know each other well. It’s unfortunate for him, but I’m through! “
‘Cullen gets hurt’
The panel in the Sky Sports the studio was just as sympathetic to the 16th seed, after his strong effort.
2:52 Mark Webster and Laura Turner reviewed the great battle
“Hats off for both players. I feel for Joe Cullen, he will be injured,” Mark Webster said.
“He put on some performance, just fell short in the final leg.
“What hurts Joe is that he’s kind of unresponsive in the leg he made. The nerves got the better of him. He put into clinical performance like that – 19 180s. He’s this is the best thing we’ve seen on the world stage.Eos is going to be a comfort to Joe, but when he pays attention to it, he’s had a good year, [he’ll be] hurt at the moment, but I expect big things from the Rockstar in the new year. “
Nonetheless, the former BDO world champion feels he was consolidating MVG credentials for another Sid Waddell Cup.
“You have to give credit to Michael van Gerwen. That’s why he’s the largest number in the world,” he said. “His back was to the wall, and he responded. A few months ago, you may have questioned him. But now he’s in good shape. His competition average is over 100. He’s there the good place.
“He got away with one, but it was very similar. It was a testament to both of them for putting on one hell of a show.”
Chizzy looks upset
The top seed is now through to the semi-finals, where he will face Dave Chisnall.
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Chizzy capped off a 4-2 win over Dimtri Van den Bergh’s Matchplay champ, averaging 101.76 and hitting 50 percent on the outer ring.
The eighth seed looks at a semicircular site for the first time in its life cycle.
“I was very confident. In the last few months, I’ve been playing really well, working really well,” he said. Sky Sports after winning over Belgium.
“It will be a good game [against MVG]. I didn’t hit it for a while. I can beat it, obviously I can beat it. I’m playing well enough. But I have to clean up the sloppy darts. It will be a fast, fast paced game. “
If Chisnall performs at the same level again, Van Gerwen will have a big challenge in his hands.
The action from Alexandra Palace continues on New Year’s Day with the final four rounds taking place over two sessions – join us between 12pm and 6pm on Sky Sports Darts.