Fans have heaped praise on Michael van Gerwen after he delivered a classy interview on the back of his World Darts Championship defeat by Michael Smith on Tuesday night.
In what was truly a battle for the ages, both players produced their best darts in the first few sets.
During the second set, both players had a chance to hit a nine-darter but Van Gerwen missed his last dart to allow Smith to hit a sensational nine-dart finish straight after the Dutchman, it was truly incredible.
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From then on, Smith powered away and won four of the last five sets to win 7-4 to clinch his maiden world title.
After the breathtaking encounter, fans praised Van Gerwen for his interview despite being clearly hurt by the defeat.
The 33-year-old said on Sky Sports: “At this moment he is not giving his game any justice!
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“This man played absolutely phenomenal - we all know that!
“Of course, I didn't take my chances, but he was there at the moments he had to be. He deserved it, he played well there and fair play to him.”
Van Gerwen added: “I wasn't playing to well in the last few sets, but you can only blame yourself for that. It doesn't take anything away from Michael, because I think he played brilliantly the whole game.
“I wasn't what I wanted to be but that's part of the game unfortunately and you have to take it on the chin.”
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Fans reacted to Van Gerwen’s emotional interview on social media.
One said: “Classy from Michael Van Gerwen, very sporting in defeat. Huge respect for what he said there.”
Another tweeted: “Gracious and classy as always In defeat mvg.”
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A third fan added: “Gracefully in defeat, that’s what champions do! What a game!”
Someone else commented: “Absolute class act. Carries himself with such class.”
Smith also paid tribute to Van Gerwen after his stunning victory, he said: “I have said it for years, he is the best player in darts and we have got to take our chances and I finally took it.”
Topics: Darts
Marcus Chan