Darts results: Michael van Gerwen hits a nine darter without a 180 and wins Players Championship Three
Michael van Gerwen hit a sublime nine-dart finish without a single maximum en route to winning Saturday's Players Championship Three event.
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The world number one sealed his third PDC title from the opening four events of the 2019 season by defeating Ian White 8-5 thanks to a superb final performance in which he posted an average of 105.7 as well as hitting checkouts of 170 and two of 160.
But that wasn't the first time his stunning exploits had caught the eye at the Robin Park Tennis Centre in Wigan.
Van Gerwen was leading PDC newcomer Jamie Hughes 5-3 in the last 32 when he hit his second perfect leg in a week, having been one of four players to manage it during a historic Players Championship Two tournament last Sunday.
But the Dutchman's route of 177, 174 and 150 was a somewhat maverick route to the usual method as he completed a maximum-less victory with an average of 102.5.
The world champion, who has started the new season on fire with a fifth successive Masters, last Saturday's Players Championship One title, and two Premier League victories, had previously knocked out Ryan Searle (6-3) and Ross Smith (6-4) in the previous rounds before beating Dimitri van den Bergh 6-3 with a 103.5 average to reach the quarter-finals.
MVG didn't need to be at his best with a 91.8 average to see off Gavin Carlin 6-3 in the last eight while he posted a mark a shade lower in the semi-finals against a lacklustre Mervyn King, who managed just 84.6 in a 7-3 defeat.
In the final, van Gerwen landed the first of his 160 finishes to go 3-2 up and when leading 4-2, he threw back-to-back 12-darters - the second completed by the big fish of 170 - before his second 160 checkout put him one leg from victory.
White delayed what appeared to be the inevitable with a 12-darter and then a break of throw before the Dutchman sealed his latest triumph and a cheque for £10,000.
World number 12 Diamond produced a fine run of performances to reach his first final of the season and it says a lot that his average of 95.2 in the final was his worst of the day.
He posted a mark of exactly 100 in a high-class 7-5 semi-final triumph over Chris Dobey, who averaged 103.9, and that was the third time he reached three figures - 103.6 in a 6-1 thrashing of Vincent Kamphuis in round one and 100.2 in a 6-4 win over Ryan Joyce in the third.
He never dropped below 97 in defeating Mark Webster (6-3), Darren Webster (6-4) and John Henderson (6-4) and he'll be in confident mood heading into Sunday's Players Championship Four.
Players Championship Three Results (Last 16 onwards)
Last 16
- Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Dimitri van den Bergh
- Gavin Carlin 6-1 Kim Huybrechts
- Steve West 6-1 Ron Meulenkamp
- Mervyn King 6-4 Andy Boulton
- Ian White 6-4 Darren Webster
- John Henderson 6-5 Jose de Sousa
- Chris Dobey 6-5 Zoran Lerchbacher
- Peter Wright 6-2 Toni Alcinas
Quarter-Finals
- Michael van Gerwen 6-3 Gavin Carlin
- Mervyn King 6-5 Steve West
- Ian White 6-4 John Henderson
- Chris Dobey 6-5 Peter Wright
Semi-Finals
- Michael van Gerwen 7-3 Mervyn King
- Ian White 7-5 Chris Dobey
Final
- Michael van Gerwen 8-5 Ian White