Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright row explodes – ‘Waste of my breath’ | Other | Sport

“I hope he has a big mouth like he’s had for past two weeks. I keep smashing him in exhibitions,” the Dutchman told Sportsboom. “If you look at my new dates here and there, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my eyes. I keep getting compliments.

“He has made so many comments over the last so many years, to speak the name of Peter Wright is a waste of my breath. He can’t even win a raffle these days anymore.”

Tatsunami managed to take the first set against the No. 3 seed Van Gerwen on Thursday and gained an early lead in the second.

However, he couldn’t maintain his advantage, with Van Gerwen ultimately securing a 3-1 victory.

“That was really difficult. I don’t know what happened. I started off really c**p,” Van Gerwen confessed to Sky Sports “My first darts were constantly underneath and above. Nothing really worked. I feel good but when you put yourself under pressure, it doesn’t make it any easier. His finishing was great.

“I wasn’t afraid of his scoring. When you score so bad and when you don’t do what you are capable of, you get annoyed and then have to deal with your own problems.

“I kept battling my own battle. I shouldn’t put myself in that position. I’m bigger than that. But that’s darts.”

Van Gerwen made it to the final at Ally Pally last time, eventually losing to Luke Littler, but 2025 has been a challenging year for him both professionally and personally. He split from his wife Daphne earlier in the year and has spoken about the importance of being there for his children.

“Everyone knows what has happened and right now, my focus is solely on my children,” he revealed to DartsWorld in October. “Obviously, the news about myself and their mother affects them enormously, and it’s vital we both continue to provide love and attention no matter what.”