MICHAEL VAN GERWEN claimed World Grand Prix glory for the third time after a fabulous 5-2 victory against Gary Anderson in Dublin on Saturday night.
World number one van Gerwen came out on top in a thrilling clash between the top two ranked players in the PDC.
The Dutchman carried his incredible form into the final, producing a sensational early surge, which World Champion Anderson was unable to recover from.
“It’s an amazing win and I’m so happy I’ve won this tournament again,” said the 27-year-old, whose 100.29 average is the highest ever in a World Grand Prix final.
“Everything has been great for me in this tournament and I also played fantastic darts.
“After three or four sets I was averaging about 108 and I think if you play like that you deserve to win this trophy. I put him under pressure from the beginning and that worked.
“He pushed me until the end and I had to fight really hard. Gary never gives up but I played fantastic tonight.
“A lot of people have played well against me this week but my confidence is sky high. I had a tournament average of 100 and not many people do that in this format.”
van Gerwen raced into a three-set lead, taking nine of the first eleven legs to stamp his authority on the showdown.
And there proved to be no way back for Anderson despite the tenacious Scotsman winning sets four and six in straight legs.
van Gerwen finished the job in seven sets, adding the gloss to a fantastic performance by completing the triumph with a 160 checkout.
WINNERS INTERVIEW | We talk to @MvG180 backstage as he comes off stage after winning the 2016 Unibet World Grand Prix pic.twitter.com/E5bL7BcoP0
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) October 8, 2016