Michael Van Gerwen Defeats Josh Rock in Players Championship 7 Final to Claim First Ranking Title of 2023
Michael van Gerwen claimed his first Players Championship win since April last year, claiming the top prize of £12,000. The Dutchman beat reigning World Youth champion Josh his rock 8-4 in the final.
Last updated: 19/03/23 21:40
Michael van Gerwen defeated Josh Rock in Sunday’s Players Championship 7 final.
Michael van Gerwen won his first ranking title of 2023 by beating Josh Rock 8-4 in the Players Championship 7 final in Hildesheim on Sunday.
World No. 3 Van Gerwen kicked off the ProTour doubleheader in Germany with £12,000 in prize money for his first Players Championship win since April last year.
Other than the UK Open two weeks ago, when Van Gerwen finished runner-up, he had not reached the quarter-finals in any ranking event this year.
The 33-year-old – three-night winner so far in the Kazoo Premier League in 2023 – defeated World Youth Champion Rock in the final to claim his first ranking win of the year.
“I had to work hard,” admitted Van Gerwen. “I have six gears, but I won today in gear four.
“I didn’t play well all day, but in the game I had to play well, to beat Dirk.” [van Duijvenbode 6-4] I played really well in the quarterfinals and I played against Josh in the final.
“It gives me confidence and joy, but I wasn’t at my best today. Of course I want to play better, but I played whenever I needed to.”
Josh Rock defeated Premier League star Dimitri van den Berg and Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively.
Van Gerwen edged out Jacques Labre, Keegan Brown, Martin Lukeman and Boris Krcmar by just seven legs to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
There, he set a best average of 104.95 for the day in a 6-4 win over Dutch rival Van Deifenbode before beating another former World Youth Champion, Bradley Brooks, by two legs in the semi-finals. bottom.
In the final, reigning youth champions The Rock took the opening leg and van Gerwen won five of the next six to take a 5-2 lead.
Locke closed the gap to 5-4, but the Dutchman’s 11 and 12 darts pushed him further at 7-4 to clinch the title.
Van Gerwen added:
“Looking at the recent floor tournaments, there are no easy games anymore, so I have to fight every game, but overall I am happy with the win, and that is very important.
“A lot of things have changed. Everyone can play at an average of 100. The tour is this good at the moment, so we need to focus.”
With 28 wins in the 2022 Players Championship, the Northern Irishman Rock made it to the finals of this year’s ranking event, best run by the runner-up Rock.
The youngster averaged more than three tons of points on the day against Luke Woodhouse, Brendan Dolan and Mario Vandenbogerde, and beat Premier League star Dimitri van den Berg and Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski to the quarter-finals respectively. and defeated in the semi-finals.