Michael van Gerwen Dominates Hurrell in 3-0 Win

Michael van Gerwen secured a dominant 3-0 win over English debutant James Hurrell in his opening match of the PDC World Darts Championship. The three-time world champion, who has faced challenges this year, enjoyed a relatively stress-free match at Alexandra Palace. Hurrell, 40, took the first leg but won only two more as Van Gerwen proved too strong. The Dutchman, averaging 94.85 hit two three-figure checkouts and landed 50% of his doubles. Van Gerwen will now face either Brendan Dolan or Lok Yin Lee in the third round.

In another exciting match, Germany’s Florian Hempel triumphed 3-1 over Jeffrey de Zwaan in a thrilling contest. Both players hit seven 180s but Hempel’s superior finishing on doubles earned him a fourth consecutive first-round victory at the World Championship. He will now face Daryl Gurney in the next round while de Zwaan’s loss dealt a blow to his hopes of retaining his PDC tour card for next season.

Mickey Mansell defeated Japan’s Tomoya Goto 3-1 and will face world number seven Jonny Clayton in the third round. Dylan Slevin progressed after defeating William O’Connor in an all-Irish tie and will meet Dimitri van den Bergh in the second round. In the afternoon session, Stephen Bunting came from behind to beat Kai Gotthardt 3-1, booking his place in the third round.

Bunting ranked eighth recovered after nearly going 2-0 down securing a strong finish with two straight sets without losing a leg. He will meet either Dirk van Duijvenbode or Madars Razma next. Elsewhere, Alexander Merkx and Wessel Nijman advanced while Ian White received a walkover after Sandro Eric Sosing withdrew due to medical reasons.