Michael van Gerwen's difficult 2026 continued on Saturday as he suffered a second-round defeat to Williams O'Connor at the Dutch Darts Championship, adding another early exit to his troubled year on the oche.
The loss marks the latest setback in what the source describes as a poor run of form for the Dutch star in 2026, with his home event ending prematurely at the second-round stage against O'Connor.
While Van Gerwen's campaign came to a halt, several of the sport's leading names had no such trouble. Gerwyn Price, Gian van Veen, Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall all progressed, with Van Veen's run described as making history.
The action comes ahead of a busy period on the darting calendar, with the Grand Slam of Darts set to be shown live on Sky Sports from November 14-22.
