Van Gerwen Unfazed by Title Favourites

Michael van Gerwen has stated that he is currently not concerned about potential title favourites Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, instead focusing on his own performance in the upcoming World Darts Championship. Van Gerwen will only face one of the two Lukes in the semi-finals or the final, and his immediate attention is on overcoming German debutant Arno Merk in the third round. Following a determined 3-1 win against William O'Connor, where he averaged over 100, Van Gerwen expressed that he feels good and is ready to move forward. He acknowledges that Merk performed well in his game against Peter Wright and therefore, Van Gerwen needs to concentrate on his own game. Having had a challenging year, Van Gerwen is looking to put his past struggles behind him and make a strong comeback in the World Championship. He believes his current form could be sufficient to go all the way, but he is aware that he is capable of more. Van Gerwen has been working hard to maintain his good form and is confident in his ability to produce quality darts. Meanwhile, Sky Sports Darts' Wayne Mardle anticipates potential surprises in the tournament, given that 17 of the 32 seeded players have already been knocked out. Mardle thinks it would be short-sighted to assume that only Luke Humphries can stop Luke Littler, citing examples of underdogs causing upsets in the tournament.