Michael van Gerwen has fired back at Chris Dobey's comments ahead of their semi-final clash at the 2025 World Darts Championship.
Van Gerwen and Dobey both booked their spot in the semi-finals following their respective victories over Callan Rydz and Gerwyn Price.
Dobey kicked off Wednesday's afternoon session at Ally Pally with a thrilling 5-3 victory over Price, who revealed that he has been suffering from a medical issue.
Speaking after his victory, Dobey was asked whether he would prefer to play Van Gerwen or close friend Rydz, who's also from the North East.
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As quoted by SportsBoom, he replied: "It’ll probably be a bit easier playing Michael [van Gerwen] than it will Callan [Rydz]."
Van Gerwen then saw off Rydz, beating the Englishman 5-3 in a high-qualify match to set up a meeting against Dobey.
During his post-match press conference, the Dutchman was asked about his opponent's remark to which he replied: "People when they win, they talk a lot of nonsense."
It's heating up between 'MVG' and 'Hollywood' ahead of their semi-final showdown on Thursday.
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Van Gerwen, who's aiming to win his first world title since 2019, paid tribute to Rydz following their battle.
"He gave me everything. He didn't stop hitting trebles. When I was 4-2 up I thought I broke him but he never gave up," he told Sky Sports.
"I was getting annoyed at a point! But I did it when I had to and I'm really happy with my performance. My game is in a good place. We are only in the semis so it doesn't mean anything yet.
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"The game had everything, it had drama, 180s and to be part of games like this gives you a lot of joy. He kept me constantly under pressure It's one of the best performances I have done in a long time. I'm over the moon.
"I've had a tough year and have been battling everywhere. I'm still here and believe in my own ability. This means a lot to me."
Topics: Darts
Nasir Jabbar