Michael van Gerwen overcame a huge scare to beat Japan’s Mitsuhiko Tasunami 3-1 in the first round of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.
In a nervy match, it appeared that Van Gerwen could have been sent home, which would have meant his first first-round exit since 2011, when he lost to Mensur Suljovic.
After performing a smooth dance as a walk-on, Tatsunami had the crowd firmly on his side as he shouted his name, and what was even more impressive was the fact that the hero of the afternoon, Sanmo Sakai, was among the crowd cheering him on.
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Mitsuhiko Tatunami takes the first set against Michael van Gerwen in the first round of the World Championship
After three slow holds, Tatsunami scored a clutch 92 checkout on the strangest route and finished with a 1-0 lead against the “Green Machine” in D11.
Tatsunami extended his lead to 2-0 and looked like he was going to gain momentum, but MVG came back to life and stopped him. Van Gerwen hit back as the fan favorite started to find doubles after finding a break of throw and checkout for 71, winning D2 and tying the game.
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Mitsuhiko Tatunami made another memorable appearance at the 2026 World Championships
The world No. 3 then really took control, winning five legs in a row and easily taking the third set.
It wasn’t over yet as Tatsunami made a slow break and shot a 62 at the top, but MVG fought back hard and after missing two match darts, Tatsunami was given a reprieve as he couldn’t find the top, sealing his place in the second round despite only having a 29 percent doubles success rate.
An emotional Van Gerwen told Sky Sports: “It was really tough. I don’t know what happened. It was a really bad start.
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Michael van Gerwen reacts to World Championship first round win
“My first darts were always down and up. Nothing really worked.
“I feel good, but it doesn’t get easier when you put pressure on yourself.
“His finishing was great. I wasn’t afraid of him scoring. If you score too badly or don’t perform to your ability, you get frustrated and have to deal with your own problems.
“I continued to fight my own battles. You shouldn’t put yourself in that position. I’m bigger than that. But that’s darts.”
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Peter Crouch was spotted enjoying some action in Ally Pally, much to the delight of the crowd.
Chisnall fights through as Sherlock suffers a double whammy.
Fallon Sherlock was unable to capitalize on his chances and lost 3-0 to Dave Chisnall.
Sherlock shattered the glass ceiling at the 2020 World Darts Championship, becoming the first woman to reach the third round and win at Palace, and looked strong at the start of the opening leg with the crowd on her side.
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Dave Chisnall hit this checkout during his first round match against Fallon Sherlock for the World Championship
However, her doubling began to take a toll on her, missing 11 darts at the outer ring in the first set, giving Chisnall a chance to take a 1-0 lead.
And the real Chisnall took to the Ally Parry stage in the second set, winning three legs in a row and finishing the set with an impressive 160 checkout.
After ‘Chizzy’ hit seven consecutive legs, Sherlock managed to stop the rot and take the third set to a decider, but three set darts at the top cost him, allowing Chisnall to take D7 and end the match.
The best summation of Sherlock’s Night was its final doubling rate, although it finished with just a 13 percent success rate.
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Dave Chisnall defeats Fallon Sherlock in first round of World Championship
In other matches, Jermaine Wattimena was involved in some action as he beat Dominik Grlic 3-2 and drew in the second round with Scott Williams.
Wattimena entered the world championships in the best shape of his life, but Grulich forced him into a deciding set, forcing the Dutchman to put up a serious fight as he spun off a three-leg and pinned D16 to prevent a showdown.
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Krzysztof Ratajski faced Alexis Toilo in the first round of the World Championship and made 170 out.
Meanwhile, Krzysztof Ratajski defeated Alexis Toilo 3-0, highlighting his “Big Fish” checkout as he defeated Toilo for the second year in a row.
What’s next?
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Megan Wellens, John Peart and Mark Webster look at the World Championship first round match between Beau Greaves and Darryl Gurney
The action will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Darts on Friday 19th December, with two further bumper sessions taking place.
The afternoon will feature Kevin Deutz vs. Matthew Dennant, Ryan Meikle vs. Jesus Zarate, Mickey Mansell vs. Leonard Gates, and Josh Locke vs. Gemma Hayter.
This will be followed by a jam-packed evening session with William O’Connor v Krzysztof Kuczuk, Darryl Gurney v Beau Greaves, Nathan Aspinall v Lawrence Ilagan and Kean Barry v Tim Pusey.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match live and exclusively on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel until Saturday 3rd January. Stream darts and other top sports now.
