MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has hailed his 'phenomenal' performances to win the HappyBet German Darts Masters, as he rets his sights back on the Betway Premier League.
The World Champion claimed his first European Tour title of 2017 as he bounced back from a loss in last month's German Darts Championship final to Peter Wright in style.
Van Gerwen averaged over 100 in all five of his games in Jena as he romped to his 15th European Tour win, defeating John Michael, Cristo Reyes, Raymond van Barneveld, Simon Whitlock and Jelle Klaasen on his way to the £25,000 title.
Having averaged 110 against both Michael and Reyes, Van Gerwen also fired in the highest finish of the tournament - 164 - against Van Barneveld before needing just 11 minutes to see off another Dutchman, Klaasen, in the final.
Van Gerwen's 106.67 average was ten points more than his closest rival, while he hit the top four averages across the Easter weekend and more 180s than any other player with 17.
"I think I played phenomenal this weekend," said Van Gerwen. "I didn't think I made a lot of mistakes, my doubles were great and my scoring power was there.
"I think I played a fantastic tournament and I couldn't have asked for more. I want to keep performing and this is what I love.
"I know if I play good, if I play my own performance, then I can make it really difficult for people and I can make them look like nothing on the stage.
"That's what I try all the time. I work really hard because I want to be the best, and if you want to be that you have to keep performing."
Van Gerwen has now set his sights on another battle with his great rival Van Barneveld in Thursday's Premier League at The SSE Arena in Belfast.
Van Barneveld took victory in their most recent big-stage clash in the Premier League last month with a 7-5 win in Manchester, and the world number one is aiming to turn the tables on the five-time World Champion's 50th birthday.
Reflecting on the Manchester game, Van Gerwen said: "Things like that happen in life. I should have won that game, but sometimes you make mistakes - people think I'm a robot but I'm human.
"I want to perform every time and focus on myself. I have to keep practising and prepare myself as well as possible.
"Raymond was fantastic in that game and I missed a few chances, but this is a new week. I'm looking forward to playing Raymond on his birthday - hopefully I give him a nice birthday present!"
Michael van Gerwen Video Interview
Betway Premier League
Night 12 - Thursday April 20
The SSE Arena, Belfast
Dave Chisnall v Adrian Lewis
Phil Taylor v Gary Anderson
Peter Wright v James Wade
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Dave Chisnall v Phil Taylor
Tickets: 028 9073 9074 or 0844 277 4455 or via www.ssearenabelfast.com