UK Open Day 2: MVG in Quarter-Finals

Wim Blokpoel - Yesterday was the second day of the 2021 UK Open Darts. As you can read in the article I wrote yesterday, 5 Dutch players reached day 2. Saturday afternoon those 5 played in the last 32. 

A quite surprising name in the last 32 was Ron Meulenkamp. Ron the Bomb played Alan Soutar, the Scotsman who knocked out RVB in the last 128. Meulenkamp took an early lead, but soon Soutar came back and it turned out to be a very close one. Unfortunately for Meulenkamp, he was the one who got edged out, as he lost 7-10 despite averaging 2,4 points higher. Meulenkamp wasn’t the only Dutchman we lost in this round. World Cup star Danny Noppert got another tough opponent in Dave Chisnall. Both men played brilliant, but Noppert had a close defeat as well, as he lost 8-10 while averaging 99,4. Chisnall himself averaged an astonishing 104,4. But there is more bad news: that 104,4 average wasn’t even the highest average someone hit against a Dutchman. On stage 2 Aubergenius Dirk van Duijvenbode took on the man in form, Jonny Clayton. The Welshman took an early lead, he got 5-0 up averaging almost 120. Dirk tried to fight back, but it was not possible, and in the end it was a 3-10 defeat for van Duijvenbode. DVD averaged 99.1, but Clayton averaged wn astonishing 108.4 in 13 legs!

 Fortunately, we still have a Dutchman left. On the other stage, the main stage, world number two Michael van Gerwen took on Austrian Mensur Suljovic. It was vintage MVG, as he hit some great finishes including a 132 finish (50, 50, D16) and had great scoring as well. MVG won it quite comfortably 10-4, averaging 103,8. The average of almost 99 was far from enough for Suljovic. And MVG is joined by another Dutchman! The good run from Martijn Kleermaker continued, as he beat Callan Rydz 10-6! Time for the draw: MVG had to face Portugese José de Sousa on the main stage, while Kleermaker got on stage 2, against Cool Hand Luke Humphries.

Martijn Kleermaker played his last 16 match as the first match of the evening on stage 2. The Dutch Giant never reached a quarter-final in a PDC Major before. Unfortunately, that will stay like that, as Kleermaker lost 4-10 to Cool Hand Luke Humphries. Kleermaker can take loads of positives from this tournament though, after not being able to make his PDC World Championship debut because of covid, and then losing in round 1 in all of the first 4 pro tours, it is very good that he reached the last 16 in a PDC Major for the second time in his career. 

Martijn Kleermaker - Luke Humphries 4-10 (82.1 - 93.5)

The last Dutchman left in the field is defending 3 time UK Open Champion Michael van Gerwen. MVG played the final match on the main stage against Grand Slam of Darts champion José de Sousa. MVG had the chance to take an early lead but then missed loads of darts at doubles, which led De Sousa back into the match. Then there was nothing between the 2 of them, until the very end, as it became 9-9. MVG had the darts in the decider, and he made use of that. After some counting mistakes from De Sousa, MVG won the last leg very comfortable and won the match 10-9. So the final Dutchman in this years UK Open is Michael van Gerwen, who is now through to the Quarter-Finals. Here he’ll play Polish number one Krzysztof Ratajski, who he never lost to before. Let’s hope MVG can go all the way today!

Michael van Gerwen - José de Sousa 10-9 (99.5 - 97.8)