Michael van Gerwen mounts spectacular comeback to win third title of the year
- Seb Sternik
- 2 April 2022
Michael van Gerwen produced an exhibition of comebacks as he powered to victory at the tenth Players Championship event of the season.
Mighty Mike clashed with long-time rival Peter Wright in the final and produced a jaw-dropping fightback to seal his second title in a space of a week.
Van Gerwen won the Players Championship event in Niedernhausen (Germany) last Sunday, and he backed up that performance with yet another ProTour triumph.
The Dutchman won four straight legs against Jose de Sousa in the semi-final, and followed that up by beating Wright 8-4 in the final - that's despite finding himself 4-0 down against the world number one.
There were more stunning comebacks earlier in the day, as MVG survived two match darts against Ryan Meikle during their second-round clash.
Photo Credit: Steven Paston/PDC
The 32-year-old also picked up wins against Brett Clayton, Madars Razma, Brendan Dolan and Adrian Lewis on his way to the £12,000 prize.
Wright left Barnsley on a disappointing note, having stormed to a commanding position in the showpiece. The Scot produced 14, 11, 14 and 13 dart legs as he looked unstoppable.
Van Gerwen eventually broke the mould as he won the next five legs. Wright then missed the bull for a 170 finish to level the match and was made to pay as his opponent cleared up an 11 darter.
Two further legs sealed a sensational win for Van Gerwen as he continues his return to form.
Despite losing in the final, Wright was in great form throughout the day and even averaged 111 during his third-round game against Mervyn King. He then went on to post another impressive average of 108 against Damon Heta in the semi-final.
There is one more Players Championship event this weekend as players return to the oche on Sunday. The action begins from 12:00 BST on PDC TV.
Players Championship Ten: Bracket from quarter-final stage
Quarter-finals
Damon Heta 6-3 Jeff Smith
Peter Wright 6-5 Nathan Aspinall
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Adrian Lewis
Jose de Sousa 6-5 Luke Humphries
Semi-finals
Peter Wright 7-3 Damon Heta
Michael van Gerwen 7-6 Jose de Sousa
Final
Michael van Gerwen 8-4 Peter Wright
