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michael van gerwen Survived by an almighty fear in the early stages of World Darts Championship,
The three-time champion defeated Mitsuhiko Tatsunami, his 3-1 victory doesn’t tell the real story.
With 20 minutes to go the Japanese player threatened possibly the biggest upset in the history of the tournament as he darted in to go 2-0 up with a charismatic display.
Van Gerwen, who has not lost in the first round at Ally Palli since 2011, looked as if he had steadied the ship but Tatsunami, 52, rallied and darted to send him into the deciding set.
But he could not find them and the Dutchman was able to breathe again.
It has been a disappointing year for Van Gerwen, with his form seriously affected by his personal life as he went through a divorce at the beginning of the year.
Before the tournament he claimed that he was the favorite Luke doesn’t want to face LittlerBut he will need to improve significantly if he wants to go deep and challenge for a fourth world title.
“It was really hard and I know what happened,” he said on stage. “It’s not easy when you put yourself under pressure.
“I wasn’t afraid of him scoring, but when you don’t do what you’re capable of doing you trouble yourself and you have to deal with your own problems.
“I shouldn’t have put myself in that position, they made me work really hard for it.”
Fallen SherrockThe wait for another win in the World Championship continues even after his loss dave chisnall,
Sherrock changed the landscape of the game when she reached the third round five years ago and became the first woman to win at Alexandra Palace.
With a record five women in this year’s first round, she opened a lot of doors for herself and others as she became a household name.
But she struggled to emulate that success on the Alli Palli stage and lost in the first round in the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions.
And she fell again at the first hurdle as Chisnell suffered a 3–0 defeat, resulting in a serious double upset for Sherrock.
The 31-year-old matched the 21st seed’s scoring power but failed on the outer ring, missing 19 costly attempts to close one leg.
Sherrock mimicked her ex-boyfriend Cameron Menzies, who cut his hand when he repeatedly punched her on a drinks table on stage earlier in the week.
However, she was not that violent, lightly shaking the table jokingly.
Japan found success early in the day as debutant Motomu Sakai cruised into the second round with a win over Frenchman Thibault Tricole following an awkward walk-on routine.
The 28-year-old qualifier became an instant cult hero thanks to tremendous cheers from fans and some spectacular dance moves after signing autographs on his way to the stage.
Their eccentric entrance – accompanied by the Ojamajo carnival song – delighted the large crowd and was followed by a 3–0 win.
Kenyan newcomer David Munua caused the biggest shock in the history of the tournament by defeating 18th seed Mike de Decker.
The 30-year-old, who is a veterinarian by profession, came from 2-0 down to beat the 2024 Grand Prix champions 3-2.
He became the first Kenyan to win on the Ally Palli stage in his first visit to London.
“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect it, I’m happy with it,” he said during his on-stage interview.
Jermaine Watimena, Ryan Joyce and Callan Ridge also had wins.