Michael van Gerwen hammered Michael Unterbuchner 6-2 at the European Darts Grand Prix on Saturday, and the Dutchman unloaded on his opponent in his post-game interview
Michael van Gerwen savaged his opponent(Image: PDC)
Michael van Gerwen tore into ‘not good enough’ Michael Unterbuchner after Saturday’s dominant 6-2 win at the European Darts Grand Prix. The Dutchman cruised into the round-if-16 by swatting side Unterbuchner, who’d made a joke about facing Van Gerwen on Friday.
After shocking William O’Connor in the first round, Unterbuchner quipped: “Michael van Gerwen? Who’s that? No, no, just kidding. I’m looking forward to it.”
The three-time world champion didn’t take kindly to his comments, though, and said after after beating the German: “He didn’t make a joke. He is one of them guys that try to be funny.
“He’s never beaten me in his life and he will never beat me in his life. He’s not good enough – even my B and C game beats him, but who cares? On to tomorrow.
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“But he doesn’t know who I am, so who am I? The day I am going to worry myself about Unterbuchner, that’s the day I am going to quit playing darts.”
Van Gerwen let his darts do the talking during the match. The 36-year-old averaged 91 and pulled off a stunning 102 checkout.
His last-16 opponent will be compatriot Jermaine Wattimena, who beat Kevin Doets in an all-Dutch clash. “I had a couple of good legs, but also the one leg with a double one was a disaster,” Van Gerwen added.
“Who cares? I won the leg and that is the most important thing. The crowd is enjoying themselves – that is the only thing that matters. It’s been a long time since I won here, so hopefully I can give it a good go tomorrow.”
Did Michael van Gerwen cross the line? Have your say in the comments section.
Van Gerwen hasn’t won the European Tour event since lifting his second title in 2018. “Of course, I have a good record. I’ve known Jermaine for a long time, since we were youth players,” he went to say.
“To be honest, I have always had the better over him, but he is a good player. What he is doing at the moment, he is playing and showing good darts. So, I need to make sure I play well tomorrow.”
Elsewhere, Niko Springer beat defending champion Gary Anderson in the biggest shock of the tournament so far. In his homeland, Germany’s Springer managed a stunning 6-3 victory and booked a tie with the Netherlands’ Danny Noppert, who beat Oskar Lukasiak of Sweden.
Springer, 25, said after the win: “(It) feels extremely good. I’ve got a lot of people I know here. Whether family or friends – it’s not too far from my home. I was grateful for the support I got today and was, of course, delighted.”
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