‘It is seven against one’: Opposition mounts for van Gerwen at Dubai Duty Free Darts

Van Gerwen will play for a fourth Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters title this weekend, safe in the knowledge he will soon have enough room at home to display yet another prize. The action starts Thursday, reports Paul Radley.

Michael van Gerwen meets his adoring fans during the Finals match for the Dubai Masters Darts Championship. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

DUBAI // Michael van Gerwen will play for a fourth Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters title this weekend, safe in the knowledge he will soon have enough room at home to display yet another prize.

When the Dutchman completed his hat-trick of Dubai wins last year, he said he was going to have to find space in his kitchen to put his latest Dhallah trophy. Luckily, he pointed out, he has a large kitchen.

Such has been his run of success in recent times, though, his swag of silverware has outgrown his current abode.

He is building a new house, not, he acknowledges solely to house all his trophies, but as an investment for his similarly expanding financial portfolio.

“I’m building my new house now, and I am going to have a nice room with all my nice trophies,” Van Gerwen said on Wednesday, having been drawn to face Peter Wright in Thursday night’s opening round.

“I’m looking forward to that. It doesn’t finish till January or February but they are busy with it.”

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The world No 1’s quarter-final tie with Wright, which will likely start at around 10.15pm at the Dubai Tennis Stadium, is a repeat of the 2014 final.

Van Gerwen has still yet to be beaten in the history of the professional darts tour’s only outdoor competition. Wright joked that he might need a favour from the elements if he is to end that run.

“I’ll have to play at my best,” said Wright, whose trademark mohawk will be less elaborately decorated on Thursday night after he picked the wrong suitcase from his car at the airport before flying to the UAE.

“Fingers-crossed it gets really windy out there and blows his darts at the right time. He is an amazing player and you just have to try to stick with him.”

On arrival in Dubai in past years, players have often expressed concerns they may be prey to the weather when they play on stage in Garhoud.

Rarely, though, has a player ended the tournament complaining about the conditions. Wright says that only once in two years of playing here has he had a dart blown off course by a cross breeze, while world champion Gary Anderson says he, too, is starting to acclimatise.

The Scotsman made his debut at the Masters last year, having “never thrown darts outside in 20 years of playing.”

“Last year I really did struggle with the heat, but this time I’ve been walking about and for some reason I feel a bit better,” Anderson said. “I must have lost a few pounds.”

Anderson, who opens his tournament against Raymond van Barneveld, says Van Gerwen is the player everyone is chasing.

“The boy is brilliant,” he said. “He is hitting some absolutely astonishing averages. He is something else.

“He has won it the past three years, but it is seven against one, and we are going to stop him this year. He is getting a bit greedy with the trophies, and one of us want one.”

Phil Taylor, the 16-time world champion, who starts against James Wade, said Van Gerwen is not invincible.

“You can beat him, but you have to play really well,” Taylor said.

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