Michael van Gerwen and Kevin Doets have been in the headlines for very different reasons.

The latter has apologised for stating it was a “dream draw” to come up against David Munyua. After beating the Kenyan in straight sets, he said: “That was not smart. I never meant any disrespect to David.

“I’m a Top 40 player and, when you are a Top 40 player, you are a great player. When you get David Munyua or Mike De Decker, you are hoping for David Munyua because he is someone who has not played on this stage before and Mike has won a major.

“Against Mike, I wouldn’t have been a favourite. Against David, I was. I didn’t mean to sound cocky. I maybe sounded a bit cocky, but it’s not what I meant.”

Van Gerwen meanwhile, had no sympathy for Dimitri Van den Bergh after his first round exit and his new walk-on song. 

“It was horrific,” Van Gerwen told talkSPORT. “The worst one ever. That’s why he’s at home now and I’m here.”

“Some dart players now think their walk-on music makes them a better dart player. Some people have started to believe too much in themselves now. They all milk it because their ability is a little bit less, so they have to try and get the crowd on their side somehow,”