Gary Anderson lost 5-2 to Michael van Gerwen, losing out in the group stages of a Grand Slam for the first time in his career.
Van Gerwen came out of the flying blocks and put his scoring boots in a 2-0 lead with an average of 108.45 points, but the “Flying Scotsman” could not get a foothold into the match.
After Anderson got his feet on the board, the “Green Machine” reaffirmed his dominance with a throw break, followed by a clutch hold that put him just one leg away from victory, pushing Anderson to the brink of a situation he had never faced before.
From there, after missing three match darts, van Gerwen ultimately clinched the win with a D8 to close out the lightning display. This means Anderson failed to make it out of the group in his 18th Grand Slam appearance, ending a remarkable 17-year run in the race for the last 16.
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Highlights of the Grand Slam of Darts group stage match between Gary Anderson and Beau Greaves
This leaves Van Gerwen at the top of Group G, where he will face Danny Knoppert for a place in the quarter-finals.
“Let me be clear about one thing. There is no shame in losing a tournament to Gary, but I know what I’m capable of and I think I did everything right today, everything I could have done,” Van Gerwen said.
“You always try to do as good as you can for yourself and I always want to do that. I know it can be done because I’ve shown it so many times before, but it’s not as easy as people think.
“Defeating Gary here 5-2 gives me a lot of confidence and gives me a lot of joy. But I know I still have a long way to go if I want to do well in this tournament.”
Beau Greaves concluded the Grand Slam tournament with a 5-3 come-from-behind victory over Nico Springer. The German is another player alongside Van Gerwen.
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Beau Greaves hits five consecutive legs to defeat Nico Springer in the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts
After three legs down, Greaves spun for five, posting checkouts of 104 and 137 along the way, but Springer’s frustration with the crowd firmly on his side only worked against him.
It was a well-deserved moment for the world’s best women’s player, who pushed both Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen to the end.
“Obviously there’s a lot to take from it. I threw some good darts, maybe just some bad timing,” Greaves said.
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Beau Greaves came agonizingly close to sensational victory over Michael van Gerwen at the Grand Slam of Darts after missing a match dart in the deciding final leg
“I just haven’t been hitting the right shots at the right times, and that’s starting to make me pitch. But other than that, the last three games have all been fun, but I just haven’t had the luck. I’ve been playing well and just not getting results.”
“I’m just confident in my game, you know what I’m saying? I’m just trying to get through it. I just got my tour card, so I’m looking forward to it.”
“I don’t really like that kind of hype. I don’t want people talking about me or anything like that.
“That’s how you do it. You don’t need anyone to tell you that you’re not ready. I know that, you know what I mean?”
“I know I’m not ready for the big leagues or anything like that.”
Rock roars and sends Van Veen home
The most complicated group of the night was Group F, with Jan van Veen, Wessel Nijman and Josh Lock all starting the night with a chance of advancing.
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Josh Lock shares his thoughts after defeating Jan van Veen to secure his place in the second round of the Darts Grand Slam
Niziman knew she had to beat Lisa Ashton, who had already been eliminated, by a score of 5-1 or more, but she did it brilliantly in a whitewash, leaving the top spot in a straight shootout between Rock and Van Veen.
The final match of the night was predicted by many to be a battle between world No. 7 and World No. 10, but the decisive moment came in the sixth leg, when Lock beat Van Veen’s throw to take a 4-2 lead, sealing the match for Northern Ireland’s No. 1 team in D18 and sparking wild celebrations.
Littler continues title defense with all wins
Luke Littler defeated Darryl Gurney 5-2 to complete Group E with a clean sweep and continue his onslaught to defend his title, sealing his place at the top of the table.
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Grand Slam of Darts group stage match highlights between Luke Littler and Darryl Gurney
Gurney had already withdrawn from the tournament, and although Littler was consistently trying to play showman by setting up 170, it was shown that “The Nuke” could not find a moment to get the crowd going.
He will be joined by Connor Skutto in Group E after winning a winner-take-all battle against Karel Sedlacek and fighting for a 5-3 victory.
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Lucas Wenig scores a great finish against Cam Crabtree in a Grand Slam of Darts group stage match
Meanwhile, Danny Knoppert finished second in Group H after losing 5-4 to Johnny Clayton in a high-quality final leg. In a match that saw many checkouts lasting for 180 seconds, “The Ferret” decided to participate in the 2025 Grand Slam in the best possible way.
Lucas Wenig secured the second qualifying spot in his group with a 5-1 comprehensive victory over debutant Cam Crabtree, who struggled to keep up in the pressure moments.
What happens on Wednesday?
The last 16 matches begin on Wednesday with four second-round matches including Gerwyn Price vs. Martin Schindler and Chris Dobie vs. Michael Smith.
Wednesday 12 November, 7pm (Sky Sports + and Sky Sports Main Event)
4x 2nd round
Luke Woodhouse v Ricky Evans
Gerwyn Price v Martin Schindler
Luke Humphries v Jurjen van der Velde
Chris Dobie v Michael Smith
Who will win the Mr. Vegas Grand Slam of Darts? Watch live coverage all week long on Sky Sports. Live coverage will continue on Sky Sports+ and Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm on Tuesday. Stream darts and other top sports now
