The Aporia · Champion Van Gerwen loses in first round to Gurney

Michael van Gerwen, the defending champion, was unexpectedly eliminated in the first round of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam by Daryl Gurney, who won 6-5 after starting strong with a 3-0 lead and coming back from being down 5-4. Gurney will next face Ross Smith, while other notable matches include Luke Littler's victory over Danny Noppert and Gian van Veen defeating Chris Dobey for the Dutch fans.

Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

Defending champion Michael Van Gerwen suffered an upset loss in the first round of the World Series of Darts Finals, held in Amsterdam, when he was defeated by Daryl Gurney with a score of 6-5. Initially leading 3-0, Gurney staged a comeback after Van Gerwen won five consecutive legs to take control. However, Gurney clinched the ninth leg and eventually secured victory in a deciding leg as Van Gerwen missed six match darts. As a late replacement for Lourence Ilagan, Gurney will face England's Ross Smith in the last 16 on Saturday.

Written for “PDC World Darts Championship” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Steve Sutcliffe

13 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

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Northern Ireland's Gurney raced into a 3-0 lead before the Dutch top seed reeled off five consecutive legs to put himself on the brink of victory. However, Gurney, who was drafted in as a late replacement when Lourence Ilagan withdrew from the 32-man field, responded by taking the ninth leg.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-18

🔮 Gurney will now take on England's Ross Smith in the last 16 on Saturday after he advanced past Kevin Doets 6-3.

2026-09-18 · BBC News

Champion Van Gerwen loses in first round to Gurney · assertive framing

- Published Defending champion Michael van Gerwen fell to a 6-5 defeat by Daryl Gurney in the opening round of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. asserted

Gerwen → publish → Amsterdam

Ilagan → race → leg

And when Van Gerwen missed six match darts, he was able to level the match at 5-5 and win the decider with the throw. asserted

he → miss → throw

Gurney will now take on England's Ross Smith in the last 16 on Saturday after he advanced past Kevin Doets 6-3. asserted

he → take → Doets

World number one Luke Littler will get under way on Friday against former UK Open champion Danny Noppert, having recently whitewashed the Dutchman 6-0 on his way to winning the Czech Darts Open. asserted

Littler → get → Open

World number two Luke Humphries also emerged victorious in another England versus Netherlands encounter, progressing 6-4 against Jermaine Wattimena. asserted

Humphries → emerge → Wattimena

Dutch number one Gian van Veen gained a measure of revenge for the home fans with a 6-2 triumph over Chris Dobey. asserted

Veen → gain → Dobey

Dirk van Duijvenbode fought back from 4-1 down to defeat Sweden's Viktor Tingstrom 6-4, while Ryan Searle threw four 180s as he dispatched former world champion Rob Cross 6-2. asserted

he → fight → Cross

Searle goes on to play Josh Rock, who won the last three legs to edge out Stephen Bunting 6-5. asserted

who → play → Bunting

Karel Sedlacek marked his debut at the tournament with a 6-4 win over New Zealander Ben Robb and will take on Van Veen next. asserted

Sedlacek → mark → Veen

Champion Van Gerwen loses in first round to Gurney

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