Michael van Gerwen claimed his second World Series of Darts title of the year by winning the Nordic Darts Masters on Saturday night, defeating Luke Humphries 8-7 in a nerve-jangling final in Copenhagen. The Dutchman survived a match dart in his quarter-final against Viktor Tingstrom and came from 3-1 down in the final to secure victory, but his own performance left him deeply frustrated.
“I was sitting in the corner thinking to myself, ‘What the **** am I doing?’” Van Gerwen admitted after the final. “I was gutted and disappointed. But then you need to make the most of it because the tournament isn’t over. You have to keep believing in your own ability. That’s what I always do, although sometimes it’s hard. When you’re able to turn things around, it always gives you joy.”
Van Gerwen’s path to the title included a first-round win over Oskar Lukasiak, a deciding-leg victory against Viktor Tingstrom (who had earlier seen off Stephen Bunting) after trailing 5-3, a semi-final win over Jonny Clayton with a 101 average, and the final comeback against Humphries. “Especially after the first two games of the tournament, I didn’t perform as well as I could have done. But more importantly, winning is the best medicine going into the next tournaments, and I showed that tonight,” he said.
The victory was the 18th World Series title of his career, and Van Gerwen sees it as a shot in the arm heading into a vital period that includes the World Cup of Darts next week and the World Matchplay next month. “I can’t really complain. I’m doing well in it and to win it again gives me a lot of energy and positivity heading into next week. I’m looking forward to the next tournament and just rolling on to the next one,” he said. He also acknowledged the challenge ahead with Gian van Veen as his World Cup partner for the first time: “We’ll need it as well because I think it’s going to be a hell of a battle, so you need to make sure you’re on top of your own game.”
Van Gerwen also addressed the crowd, having had a man who looked like Elvis ejected from the venue. “I don’t really want to say it that way. I think there’s always a few people who can be a bit annoying and sometimes a few people take it too far. That’s just the way it is. You need to deal with it and not give them too much energy, because if you give them any joy they’ll keep doing it. Unfortunately, darts is getting bigger and bigger all the time, and with that comes people like that as well.” He added: “Don’t give them any attention and they’ll stop. If they don’t enjoy the moment, they’ll lose interest. That’s the only thing I can imagine and the only thing I can think of, to be honest.”
