Darter Michael van Gerwen got through the eye of the needle during his first match at The Masters. Luke Humphries missed five darts to finish the game and then completely cramped in the deciding leg (10-9).
The match went in all directions in the first legs, but Van Gerwen recovered strongly after 1-3. In the last leg before the break, Humphries answered the increasing violence of the Dutchman with a nice finish under pressure, to recover 5-5 on the board.
Sudden breakdown
Without playing great, Van Gerwen then ran to 7-5, when he made one miss after the other for three innings to get to 8-5. Koeltjes took Humphries four legs in a row, after which another leg went to the five-time winner of the tournament with a good arrow on the double-3.
Humphries then fired from the starting blocks in his own leg, but failed to decide the game on five occasions. The release was then great with Van Gerwen, who will meet Joe Cullen in the quarterfinals.
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