Dutchman Van Gerwen beat No.1 seed Dave Chisnall in the final to secure the victory on Wednesday night in Wigan.
Michael van Gerwen fires warning to rivals after Players Championship win
Michael van Gerwen produced a fine performance to down top seed Dave Chisnall and claim the Players Championship 21 in Wigan.
The Dutchman averaged 106.67 as he defeated Chisnall 8-4 to land his first ranking title of the year at the Robin Park Tennis Centre. Van Gerwen overcame James Wade 6-3 in the first round, Gian van Veen 6-3 in the quarter-final and Maik Kuivenhoven 7-2 in the last four. Kuivenhoven had earlier ousted Luke Littler in his opening match.
When it came to the final, Van Gerwen needed to come from 2-1 behind after Chisnall’s strong start but hit an unstoppable groove as he reeled off six successive legs with a smooth 158 checkout the highlight. Chisnall hit back with two in a row but when Van Gerwen pinned double eight in the 12th leg, it was all over.
“I have underperformed in lots of these (ranking events), so to be back on this tour and actually win one, it feels good,” he said. “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.
My scoring power was there, and every time I had to put Dave under pressure, I was able to do it. 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.”
