Michael van Gerwen's troubled run continued on Friday night as the three-time world champion was beaten 6-3 by compatriot Kevin Doets in the first round of the European Darts Championship in Dortmund. The defeat marks another disappointment for the Dutchman, who cut a visibly frustrated figure when he spoke to Viaplay after the match.
Asked whether the string of defeats was beginning to wear him down, Van Gerwen was candid. "Yes, definitely. You keep getting knocked back. You have to try to guard against that," he said. According to "Mighty Mike", key finishes from Doets shaped the contest, with checkouts of 106 and 132 arriving at particularly painful moments. "I think he just struggled a little at the start of the match, then he took out 106. After that, he checked out 132 at a really important moment. That hurts, but I also needed to give a little more after that." He added that he could not build on his good spells: "I couldn't follow them up with another good leg. That's frustrating at times."
Despite the setback, Van Gerwen insisted he can rediscover his old form, stressing that his current level is not always especially poor even if he expects far more of himself. "I know Michael van Gerwen isn't in form, and I'm still averaging 95 or 96. That's not terrible, especially in a first-round match. But I know I can play much better. You always have to keep striving for that." He acknowledged the difficulty of his current spell: "It's hard work at the moment. Everyone seems to find an extra gear against me, but I'll have to keep working extremely hard. It's as simple as that."
Asked whether he now feels he begins every match at a mental disadvantage, Van Gerwen conceded: "Yes, mentally. It doesn't bother me that much. They just do a little extra, and you have to give them credit for that. But I always have to look at myself and stay focused on my own game." He felt he had largely managed that against Doets but lacked the right scoring at decisive moments. "I did that in this match too, just not well enough. I think I missed a few treble 20s at important moments." He also highlighted his compatriot's inconsistent but dangerous game: "You know you're playing Kevin Doets. He sometimes throws a very good leg, then a poorer one, and then another very good one. When he's playing well, you have to hit back sometimes. I didn't do that often enough."
The PDC celebrated the result on social media, posting: "DREAM DEBUT FOR DOETS! Kevin Doets dumps out four-time champion Michael van Gerwen to triumph on his European Championship bow!" The first-round exit adds to a difficult 2026 for Van Gerwen, who admitted the run of defeats is taking its toll but refused to give up.
