Michael van Gerwen survives scare to reach World Championship second round
By Jonathan Veal, Press Association
Michael van Gerwen survived an almighty scare in the opening round of the World Championship.
The three-time champion battled past Mitsuhiko Tatsunami, with his 3-1 victory not telling the real story.
For 20 minutes the Japanese threatened arguably the greatest shock in the tournament’s history as he had the darts to go 2-0 up with a charismatic performance.
Van Gerwen, who has not lost in the first round at Ally Pally since 2011, looked like he had steadied the ship, but the 52-year-old Tatsunami rallied and had darts to send it to a deciding set.
But he could not find them and the Dutchman was able to breathe again.
It has been a disappointing year for Van Gerwen, with his form seriously affected by his personal life away from the oche as he went through a divorce earlier in the year.
Before the tournament he claimed he is the player favourite Luke Littler does not want to face, but he will need to significantly improve if he is going to go deep and challenge for a fourth world title.
“It was really difficult and I know what happened,” he said on stage. “When you put yourself under pressure it doesn’t make it any easier.
“I wasn’t afraid of his scoring, but when you don’t do what you are capable of then you annoy yourself and you have to deal with your own problems.
“I shouldn’t put myself in that position, he made me work really hard for that.”
Fallon Sherrock’s wait for another win at the World Championship goes on after she was beaten by Dave Chisnall.
Sherrock changed the landscape of the sport when she made it through to the third round five years ago, becoming the first woman to win at Alexandra Palace.
She opened up plenty of doors for herself and others, with a record five women in this year’s first round, as she became a household name.
But she has struggled to emulate that success on the Ally Pally stage and lost in the first round in the 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions.
And she fell at the first hurdle again as Chisnell swept to a 3-0 defeat, which was as a result of severe double trouble for Sherrock.
The 31-year-old matched the 21st seed’s scoring power but failed on the outer ring, missing a costly 19 attempts to close out a leg.
CHISNALL SEES OFF SHERROCK!
Fallon Sherrock pays the price for missed opportunities, and Dave Chisnall takes full advantage to complete a straight-sets win!
📺 https://t.co/59TualjODb #WCDarts | R1 pic.twitter.com/plPtfNPAYZ— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 18, 2025
Sherrock mimicked her ex-boyfriend Cameron Menzies, who cut his hand earlier in the week when he repeatedly punched the drinks table on stage.
She was not as violent, however, jokingly shaking the table lightly.
There was Japanese success earlier in the day as debutant Motomu Sakai backed up a wacky walk-on routine by cruising into the second round with victory over Frenchman Thibault Tricole.
The 28-year-old qualifier became an instant cult hero thanks to some exuberant dance moves after high-fiving fans and signing autographs en route to the stage.
What. A. Walk-On! 😂
Motomu Sakai has already made his mark on the Ally Pally stage!
Iconic 😍 pic.twitter.com/UKr6ixEcx2— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 18, 2025
His eccentric entrance – to the song Ojamajo Carnival – delighted the capacity crowd and was followed by a 3-0 win.
Kenyan debutant David Munyua created one of the biggest shocks in the history of the tournament by beating 18th seed Mike De Decker.
The 30-year-old, who is a vet by trade, came from 2-0 down to beat the 2024 Grand Prix champion 3-2.
He became the first Kenyan to win on the Ally Pally stage on his first ever visit to London.
“It is amazing. I was not expecting it, I am happy about it,” he said during his on-stage interview.
There were also wins for Jermaine Wattimena, Ryan Joyce and Callan Rydz.
