Michael van Gerwen rued the relentlessness of Callan Rydz after beating the Englishman last night.

Following his 5-2 win, ‘MVG’ said: “He gave me everything. He didn’t stop throwing trebles.

“He kept throwing 180s and I was getting really annoyed at one point. I was so glad with my own performance, I’m very happy. He never gave up and the way he put me under pressure he deserves a lot of credit.

“He showed that he was the player of the tournament, he had the best average so far and it was great how he played. I could have been in a much easier position, but he was fantastic and now I have to move on.”