Michael van Gerwen cruised to victory in the double-Dutch dust-up with Dirk van Duijvenbode and warned: “It will take something strange to stop me.”
Van Gerwen eased into the PDC World Championship quarter-finals 4-1, averaging 100.42, and aubergine farmer DVD's body language was frostier than a bowl of Frosties afterwards.
Van Gerwen, who now meets Chris Dobey in the last eight, said: “I didn't play well at all, but we are both Dutch and I didn't want to read the papers tomorrow saying I'd been kicked out by Dirk. I didn't want that. If I play like this and I feel comfortable, I'm not going to lose. It will take something strange to stop me.
“In the last couple of years, Covid didn't help me, I had a wrist injury and sometimes you can have a dip in form. But I won the World Matchplay three weeks after surgery and I didn't even know if I was going to play.”
The three-time world champion's victory over his fellow Dutchman sees him take on Dobey in Sunday's New Years' Day action as he hunts down his fourth world crown. Despite brimming with confidence Van Gerwen is more than aware of the task at hand.
The last time the three-time winner was in the quarter-finals he was dumped out of the event by Dave Chisnall, after being thumped 5-0. As a result, the Dutch star is keen to not let the same thing happen again.
He said: "I’m full of confidence and in the next round the format is going up. Everything is going to be in my favour, but you need to stay sharp and stay focused.
"I’m only in the quarter-finals and last time I was in the quarter-finals I was smashed 5-0 by Dave Chisnall, so I don’t want to put myself in the same position again.”
