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.
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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.
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.
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.
"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