Michael van Gerwen will renew his rivalry with Rob Cross in round two of the Jack’s Casino World Series of Darts Finals, after overcoming his fellow countryman Wessel Nijman in a thrilling first round encounter in Amsterdam.
Van Gerwen took centre stage on Day One in the Dutch capital, edging out an impressive Nijman in a decider to open his bid for a record-extending sixth World Series of Darts Finals title.
Nijman led 2-0, 3-1 and 5-4 as he set his sights on a landmark victory, but Van Gerwen refused to relent, producing a stunning 132 finish on the bull en route to completing the comeback.
The three-time World Champion also survived a match dart in the penultimate leg, before following up a majestic 174 set-up shot by pinning double 18 to prevail with a 104.75 average.
“Of course I am delighted with this result,” claimed Van Gerwen, who lifted this title in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2023.
“Wessel is a great player and his cover shooting was absolutely phenomenal tonight, but I felt great the whole game.
“I think this was one of my best performances in Holland for a long time, and that gives me a lot of joy.”
Luke Humphries also survived two match darts on his way to victory on a dramatic opening night, edging out 2018 champion James Wade with a 99 average in another compelling affair.
“It was a strange performance,” reflected the world number one, who produced legs of 14 and 13 darts to overturn a 5-4 deficit.
“One minute it was great, and the next it was really poor. My consistency is not there yet, but I’m working my way back into form and I’m pleased to win.
“I was very fortunate that James missed those two match darts, but when I get past that first round I’m usually dangerous, and now I’m more hungry than ever.”
However, top seed Stephen Bunting was sent packing by Dutch number two Danny Noppert, who will now take on World Cup champion Josh Rock for a place in round three.
Noppert put in a typically efficient display to defeat Bunting 6-4, while Rock turned on the style in the closing stages of his 6-3 victory against Krzysztof Ratajski, sealing his progress with a 121 checkout on the bull.
Friday’s action at AFAS Live also saw Cross make a winning return to the Netherlands, after lifting the Dutch Darts Masters title in Den Bosch back in January.
The 2017/18 World Champion defied an excellent performance from New Zealand's number one Haupai Puha to open his title challenge, landing 60% of his attempts at double in the process.
Australian number one Damon Heta and World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker will go head-to-head in round two, after the pair overcame Joe Cullen and Gabriel Clemens in their respective round one ties.
Heta celebrated his first televised victory over Cullen with a resounding 6-1 success, before De Decker saw off Clemens 6-3, despite the German missing double 12 for a nine-darter in leg three.
Earlier in the evening, Kevin Doets kicked off proceedings with a narrow victory over his compatriot Jermaine Wattimena, surviving four match darts to set up a meeting with Humphries tomorrow night.
Round One will conclude with a further eight matches on Saturday afternoon, as reigning champion Luke Littler opens his defence of the title against Australian veteran Simon Whitlock.
Former winners Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton take on American duo Danny Lauby and Jason Brandon respectively, while Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld faces Norway’s Cor Dekker.
Nathan Aspinall, Chris Dobey and Ross Smith also enter the fray in the afternoon session, with Peter Wright and Cameron Menzies locking horns in an all-Scottish affair.
The second round will then take place on Saturday evening, followed by the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon ahead of the semi-finals and final in Sunday's decisive evening session.
The tournament is being broadcast live on ITV4 in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including Viaplay and DAZN, and on PDCTV (excluding subscribers based in the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland).
Click here for live scores, match stats & results.
2025 Jack's Casino World Series of Darts Finals
Friday September 12
First Round x8
Kevin Doets 6-5 Jermaine Wattimena
Josh Rock 6-3 Krzysztof Ratajski
Damon Heta 6-1 Joe Cullen
Mike De Decker 6-3 Gabriel Clemens
Luke Humphries 6-5 James Wade
Michael van Gerwen 6-5 Wessel Nijman
Danny Noppert 6-4 Stephen Bunting
Rob Cross 6-3 Haupai Puha
Saturday September 13
Afternoon Session (1245 local time)
First Round x8
Chris Dobey v Luke Woodhouse
Cameron Menzies v Peter Wright
Jonny Tata v Ross Smith
Cor Dekker v Raymond van Barneveld
Gerwyn Price v Danny Lauby
Luke Littler v Simon Whitlock
Jonny Clayton v Jason Brandon
Nathan Aspinall v Dave Chisnall
Evening Session (1900 local time)
Second Round
Mike De Decker v Damon Heta
Danny Noppert v Josh Rock
Luke Humphries v Kevin Doets
Rob Cross v Michael van Gerwen
Price/Lauby v Dekker/Van Barneveld
Dobey/Woodhouse v Menzies/Wright
Littler/Whitlock v Clayton/Brandon
Aspinall/Chisnall v Tata/R Smith