Michael van Gerwen is hoping to build on his superb victory over Gary Anderson when he takes on his fellow countryman Danny Noppert for a place in the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts quarter-finals on Thursday.
Van Gerwen is one of five former champions still standing in Wolverhampton, and he will continue his bid for a fourth Eric Bristow Trophy against an in-form Noppert, who has featured in a hat-trick of televised ranking semi-finals in 2025.
Having suffered a group stage exit 12 months ago, defeat against Anderson would have condemned Van Gerwen to the same fate, but the Dutch superstar ran out a 5-2 winner in their decisive Group G showdown, averaging 108.45 in the process.
“I think I played a really good game under a huge amount of pressure,” insisted Van Gerwen, who also edged out Beau Greaves en route to claiming top spot in a star-studded Group G.
“There were lots of people saying: ‘Is Michael going out as well?’ Now I’m top of the table; that’s how quickly darts can change.
“I know what I’m capable of and I think I did everything right against Gary.
“I want to do this all the time. I know I can do it, because I’ve shown it multiple times before, but it’s not as easy as everyone thinks.
“To beat a player like Gary Anderson 5-2 gives you a lot of confidence, it gives you a lot of joy, but there’s still a long way to go if I want to do well in this tournament.”
Van Gerwen’s next assignment will pit him against his former World Cup partner Noppert, who has been one of the sport’s most consistent performers over recent months.
The former UK Open champion has reached the last four of the World Masters, World Grand Prix and European Championship this year, having also steered Netherlands to the World Cup of Darts semi-finals alongside Gian van Veen in June.
Noppert recorded successive deciding-leg wins over Lukas Wenig and Cam Crabtree to confirm his qualification, although he missed out on top spot after averaging 107 in a losing cause against Jonny Clayton in his final round-robin tie.
“You always need to try and find the right balance and the right mentality to go into a game, and I feel good, I feel comfortable,” added Van Gerwen, who lifted the World Series of Darts Finals title back in September.
“I know I can do well in these kind of circumstances, and as long as you keep believing in your own ability, anything is possible.
“Danny is a fantastic player. He has done really well lately.
“I think I’m the better player, but I can say whatever I want now, I have to show it on stage on Thursday.
“Even when it gets tough, I know I can step up, so I’m glad about that.”
The 2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
2025 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts
Thursday November 13 (1900 GMT)
4x Second Round
Lukas Wenig v Niko Springer
Josh Rock v Connor Scutt
Luke Littler v Wessel Nijman
Michael van Gerwen v Danny Noppert
Best of 19 legs