At a febrile Alexandra Palace, Michael van Gerwen has taken the first set against Michael Smith with ominous authority. The three-times world champion holds his throw to start the next but Smith, in his third final after heartbreak at the last in 2019 and 2022, hits back with an 11-dart leg to set the stage for perhaps the most remarkable 18 darts and 61 seconds in the history of the world championship …
Van Gerwen, visit one The opening exchanges have been frantic and the pace frenetic as the two players, both rapid-fire rhythm throwers, warm to their task in their second world championship final meeting. The Dutchman, as ever glaring at the board as if its mere presence is an affront to the senses, rattles in three treble-20s in trademark rat-a-tat style, the sixth 180 already in a ferociously high-scoring opening to the final.
