Michael van Gerwen returned to winning ways with a magnificent 8-4 victory against Dave Chisnall in Wednesday’s Players Championship 21 final in Wigan.
Van Gerwen put in a stellar display to overcome top seed Chisnall in a high-quality affair at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, averaging 106.67 to clinch his first ranking title of 2024.
The Dutch superstar – featuring in his first Players Championship final since March 2023 – delivered the goods to capture his first title since a triumph in January’s Dutch Darts Masters event on the World Series circuit.
Chisnall established an early 2-1 lead in an eye-catching start to proceedings, as the pair traded ton-plus checkouts in back-to-back legs.
However, Van Gerwen then stole a march with a run of six unanswered legs – including a fabulous 158 checkout in leg eight – to move to the cusp of victory at 7-2.
Chisnall hit back with a brace of 13-dart legs to preserve his slender hopes, although Van Gerwen averted any threat of an improbable turnaround by pinning double eight to seal the deal.
“I think I played really well,” admitted the three-time World Champion, who was using new darts in Wigan this week.
“My scoring power was there, and every time I had to put Dave under pressure, I was able to do it.
“I’m pleased with my performance. I’m using my new darts which are going really well, so everybody is a winner!
“I have underperformed in lots of these [ProTour events], so to be back on this tour and actually win one, it feels good.
“I’m not coming here just to take part. I want to win, I want to perform and I want to do the right things for myself.
“I know there’s still a lot more to gain and a lot more to fight for, but for me, the most important thing is I always keep believing in my own ability.”
After opening his challenge with a hard-fought 6-4 success against Lee Cocks, Van Gerwen averaged 99 in sweeping aside Ryan Meikle and Karel Sedlacek.
This was followed by successive 6-3 wins against James Wade and Gian van Veen, while he dispatched another fellow Dutchman in the semi-finals, running out an emphatic 7-2 winner against Maik Kuivenhoven.
Chisnall – a semi-finalist on Tuesday – went one step better 24 hours later, celebrating impressive 6-1 victories against Jose de Sousa and Jonny Clayton earlier in the afternoon.
The 44-year-old proved too strong for his St Helens counterpart Stephen Bunting in the last eight, before surviving four match darts in his semi-final win over Ritchie Edhouse, who rallied from 6-2 down to level.
Edhouse claimed a host of major scalps at the Robin Park Tennis Centre, dumping out former Lakeside Champions Jelle Klaasen and Christian Kist to ignite his title challenge.
He also whitewashed Austrian veteran Mensur Suljovic and fought back from 5-2 down to deny Damon Heta in the quarter-finals, only to lose out to Chisnall in a dramatic last four clash.
Edhouse was joined in the semis by Kuivenhoven, who had earlier halted Luke Littler’s 15-match winning run in the last 16.
The Dutchman also saw off Robbie Knops, Berry van Peer, Jim Williams and Benjamin Reus to reach his first ProTour semi-final since July 2021.
Danish number one Reus accounted for Ryan Searle and William O’Connor in making his maiden ProTour quarter-final, with Heta landing four consecutive ton-topping averages in advancing to the last eight.
Tuesday’s runner-up Bunting maintained his fine form with a quarter-final showing in Wigan, as Van Veen defeated Simon Whitlock and Michael Smith in reaching the same stage.
Elsewhere, Wessel Nijman came out on top in an astonishing first round clash against Raymond van Barneveld, defying a staggering 112.71 average from his compatriot to prevail with a 108.74 average of his own.