Grand Slam of Darts: Michael van Gerwen stunned by Danny Noppert after Luke Littler cruises into quarter-finals to set up Josh Rock clash
Michael van Gerwen was stunned by a 10-6 loss to Danny Noppert in the last 16 of the Grand Slam of Darts as Luke Littler cruised into the quarter-finals.
It was the most breathless of starts between MVG and Noppert as they found four ton-plus checkouts between them in the opening five legs, a Big Fish each plus a 101 for Noppert and sensational 160 checkout for Van Gerwen helping them put on quite the show for the Wolverhampton crowd.
With a bit of calm ensuing in the second session, the darts went with the throw throughout, Van Gerwen handing Noppert a reprieve in the 10th leg as he missed a break opportunity on D18 to allow his fellow Dutchman to move 6-4 ahead.
From there, Noppert took real control, reeling off three legs in a row to put himself one leg away from victory, nervy darts taking hold until he eventually wrapped up the match on tops.
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Michael van Gerwen and Danny Noppert both hit 170 checkouts during their clash at the Grand Slam of Darts.
“At the end I couldn’t take it out! Over the whole game I played well, everything went my way, but in the end I was a little bit nervous,” Noppert told Sky Sports.
“Why was I nervous? I don’t know. I didn’t need to be nervous. I could have got over the line easier.
“It was a rollercoaster. I think I coped under pressure and scored well in the game, so I’m really happy.
“If I keep playing like this and maintain this form, there will be problems for everyone.”
Littler finds doubling magic as title defence marches on
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Highlights of Luke Littler clash with Wessel Nijman in the Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler put on an imperious doubling display with a 105 average to secure a 10-4 win over Wessel Nijman and continue his title defence in Wolverhampton.
Littler was on another level in the opening session, a near 111 average helping him clean sweep all five legs on offer as Nijman could find no answer to his electric play.
Nijman then came back out of the break and managed to wrestle a bit of the control to bring the score to 5-2 but then missed a massive opportunity to break the throw again and let Littler move 7-3 ahead, ‘The Nuke’ letting out a celebration as he realised how pivotal the 10th leg was.
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That huge moment put the game firmly back in Littler’s favour as he then came out swinging, breaking the throw, taking out 86 on the bull, and confirming an 83 per cent success rate on the doubles as he took the game with a 96 checkout.
It means Littler continues his quest to move to world No 1, a spot in the Grand Slam final enough to help him usurp Luke Humphries.
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Luke Littler says he has his eyes set on Grand Slam victory and the world number one after victory over Wessel Nijman.
“I just want to win as quick as possible. I know Wessel, we’ve had our battles on the Pro Tour, so to get the win over him tonight was special. We go onto the last eight,” Littler told Sky Sports.
“If someone plays their best darts, they might catch me but tonight felt very good. I have my eyes on everything, the title, world No 1.
“I know if I get to the final then I’ll be world No 1, so I’m taking it game by game and hopefully Josh and I can have another good game like the Matchplay.”
Grand Slam of Darts: Thursday’s results
Lukas Wenig
10-8
Niko Springer
Josh Rock
10-9
Connor Scutt
Luke Littler
10-4
Wessel Nijman
Michael van Gerwen
6-10
Danny Noppert
Rock scrapes to Littler battle as Wenig gets monumental win
Littler will now play Josh Rock in the quarter-finals. Rock was pushed all the way by Connor Scutt in a deciding-leg 10-9 win in which neither player showed their best darts.
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Josh Rock says he is grateful to be in the quarter-finals after struggling with hitting 180 in his match against Connor Scutt.
Despite Rock racing into a 3-0 lead, that did not deter Scutt as he took his moments when they arrived with Rock’s scoring and doubling massively eluding him, 16 trebleless visits across the opening eight legs costing the Northern Irishman.
In a similar vain to the first session, Rock picked up three legs on the spin once again but Scutt then had his moment to take three in a row, the momentum swinging between the pair as the match went all the way.
Rock then held it together at precisely the right moment with a 14-dart leg on D9 to seal his quarter-final spot, shaking his head at the scrappy battle.
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Emotional Lukas Wenig defeats fellow German Niko Springer at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Meanwhile Noppert will face Lukas Wenig after he pulled off the biggest win of his career so far with a 10-8 victory over Niko Springer, his incredible 53 per cent success rate on the doubles seeing him over the line and into his first ever major quarter-final.
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Lukas Wenig takes out a 154 checkout against Niko Springer in the Grand Slam of Darts.
It was a close battle between the two Germans early on, Springer picking up the first two legs before Wenig fought back to take two of his own, the latter continually fighting back and finding a sensational 154 checkout to level the game at 5-5.
Nothing then separated the pair until Wenig made his move with a break of throw to help him move 9-7 ahead, eventually wrapping up his monumental moment on tops.
Confirmed quarter-finals
Lukas Wenig
vs
Danny Noppert
Luke Littler
vs
Josh Rock
What’s coming up on Friday?
Friday sees the quarter-final action begin at the Grand Slam with Ricky Evans taking on Gerwyn Price and a battle of former Grand Slam champions between Luke Humphries and Michael Smith.
Friday November 14 1900 (Sky Sports + and Sky Sports Main Event)
2x Quarter-Finals (best of 31 legs)
Ricky Evans vs Gerwyn Price
Luke Humphries vs Michael Smith
Who will win the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts? Watch live throughout the week from 7pm on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
