Michael van Gerwen says his ‘balls are on the chopping block’ after blowing six match darts in World Series Finals

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN admits his “balls are on the chopping block” after blowing SIX match darts in a shock World Series Finals exit. The defending champion suffered his earliest-ever exit at the event after Daryl Gurney capitalised on a dramatic collapse to win 6-5 in Amsterdam on Thursday night. Michael van Gerwen has crashed out of the World Series and admits he’s not happy with his performance Credit: Getty In brutal honesty he says he threw it away after fighting his way back into the game Credit: PA Van Gerwen, 37, initially trailed 3-0 before producing a brilliant fightback to move 5-4 ahead and put himself within one leg of victory. But the Dutchman then missed six darts at double to close out the match, allowing Gurney to force a decider before sealing a stunning upset. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! Van Gerwen was left struggling to comprehend how he had thrown away the victory after fighting his way back into the contest. He told Viaplay: “I don’t get it. I come back so well. I’m 3-0 down, and I think I throw 13, 13, 14, 15 and 13 darts. “In the last leg there’s absolutely nothing wrong. I just miss six darts. It makes no sense at all. I’m sick to my stomach. “It feels like you’ve already hurt yourself so much. Your balls are on the chopping block at that moment, you know. “I just shouldn’t even get into that position, and that’s on me. I’m really absolutely sick about this.” The three-time world champion had two visits to seal the deal but could not find the required double. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS The defeat means Van Gerwen hasn’t made the the quarter final of any competition this year Credit: Getty He added: “That just can’t happen. Especially not that first visit. You’re stuck on double 10 and you’re already making it very hard for yourself. I’m really absolutely gutted. Good grief. Totally unnecessary. “He starts well, of course. He starts the match fantastically. Then you have to claw your way back and try to arm yourself against that. I definitely did. “Only to give a match away this easily, that just can’t happen.” The defeat means Van Gerwen remains without a major quarter-final appearance in 2026, extending a difficult campaign for the former world No1. Comment now