Dubai Darts Masters 2015: Results, Updated Fixtures and Prize Money

Eight of the world’s finest dart players showcased their craft in Dubai this week, bidding to win the Duty Free Masters.

For the third consecutive year, Michael van Gerwen emerged victorious in the desert, beating Phil Taylor 11-8 in a thrilling final.

The dynamic knockout format was unforgiving, and as such, we were treated to some tense battles during the two-day event at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium. With $200,000 up for grabs, per the event’s official website, none of these top-quality players took this one lightly.

Read on for full results and a recap of how the action played out in Dubai.

Full Tournament Schedule

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Schedule of Play


Quarter-Finals: Thursday, May 28

Adrian Lewis 10-9 Stephen Bunting

Gary Anderson 10-8 James Wade

Phil Taylor 10-5 Peter Wright

Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Raymond van Barneveld

Best of 19 legs

Semi-Finals: Friday, May 29
—Coverage Begins at 10 a.m. BST

Phil Taylor 11-3 Gary Anderson

Michael van Gerwen 11-9 Adrian Lewis

Best of 21 legs

Final: Friday, May 29

Phil Taylor 8-11 Michael van Gerwen

Best of 21 legs
 

Schedule courtesy of PDC.tv.

Final Recap

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Final Result

Phil Taylor 8-11 Michael van Gerwen

Michael van Gerwen is the Dubai Masters champion for the third successive year after beating Phil Taylor 11-8 in a thrilling final.

The Dutchman rallied late in the match to take this one, winning five consecutive legs from 8-7 down to emerge victorious. Here’s the Dutchman with the trophy, per the PDC Twitter account:

"

Your 2015 @DubaiDarts Masters champion @MvG180! #DDFDarts pic.twitter.com/6WczvREDhF

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 29, 2015"

After beating Gary Anderson by a comprehensive 11-3 margin in his semi-final, Taylor was a little slow to get going here. Van Gerwen dominated the opening exchanges and went 4-2 ahead with a superb 11-dart leg.

Taylor responded as only he can. He cut the deficit to one with an 11-darter of his own, before rattling off the next three legs in a row to move 6-4 in front. At this juncture, The Power was in irresistible form and looked as though he was going to be extremely difficult to keep pace with.

But the Dutchman clung on, getting himself back to within one leg at 8-7, as Taylor spurned the chance to open up a three-leg lead for the first time in the match, missing double five. It was a moment of profligacy that would prove to be critical for the 16-time world champion.

Van Gerwen was unstoppable from that point onward. He levelled things up again as Taylor spurned more opportunities, before a 13-dart leg saw MVG edge back in front again. A clearly dispirited Taylor lost focus at this point, stumbling through the final two legs, which Van Gerwen wrapped up with ease.

Here’s what both players had to say in the aftermath, per Live Darts:

"

MVG: "They call me the master of the desert! It's been an amazing event, I'm really proud of everyone who made this tournament happen."

— Live Darts (@livedarts) May 29, 2015"

"

Taylor: "I missed my doubles and that was it. It was nip and tuck. I've been practising well and this is a step forward." #DDFdarts

— Live Darts (@livedarts) May 29, 2015"

While this event isn’t the most prestigious on the circuit, it’s a brilliant chance to build up momentum with some significant tournaments to come. There is plenty both finalists can take from this match too.

It’ll be galling for a thoroughbred winner like Taylor to lose at the last hurdle, but after some dismal displays in the Premier League recently there were encouraging signs in Dubai he’s getting back to his best.

On the flip side, every win over The Power should be cherished by darts players, and Van Gerwen will be delighted to have bounced back from his loss in the Premier League final in the best possible fashion here.

Semi-Final Recap

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Semi-Final Results

Phil Taylor 11-3 Gary Anderson

Michael van Gerwen 10-9 Adrian Lewis

Phil Taylor produced a scintillating performance to secure his spot in the final of the Dubai Masters, beating reigning world and Premier League champion Gary Anderson 11-3.

The Power was back to his enthralling best in this one after after a disappointing 2015 to date. After the two players shared the opening two legs, the 16-time world champion rattled off seven in a row to take an emphatic 8-1 lead.

There was no way back for Anderson after this remarkable run and eventually Taylor coasted to victory. As good as the man from Stoke-on-Trent was, it was abundantly clear that the popular Scot was a long way short of his best in this encounter.

However, Taylor revealed afterwards that he feels as though his highest level isn’t too far off, per Live Darts:

"

Taylor: "I'm really happy, it's starting to come together again. I'm trying to perfect the game and keep up with the youngsters."

— Live Darts (@livedarts) May 29, 2015"

He’ll face a familiar adversary in the final as Michael van Gerwen continued his sparkling form at the Dubai Masters. His match against Adrian Lewis wasn’t quite as comfortable as Taylor’s victory, however.

The Dutchman was made to work very hard for his 11-9 win. At one point Van Gerwen was actually 8-7 down in this one, but he showcased the kind of resolve you would expect from a former world champion to win three consecutive legs and put himself back in the driving seat.

Here’s a look at the statistics from what was a fiercely contested encounter, per the official PDC Twitter account:

"

MATCH STATS: Averages from @MvG180 v @jackpot180 in the @DubaiDarts semi-finals! Follow at: http://t.co/p0iosO5ZO2 pic.twitter.com/QExu85nZNA

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 29, 2015"

Van Gerwen has had to scrap hard in both of his matches so far, while Taylor has had things pretty easy against Anderson and Peter White. It’ll be intriguing to see whether or not the Dutchman shows battle-hardened qualities in the tournament climax or is a little weary when these big rivals meet once again in a showpiece final.

Quarter-Final Recap

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Quarter-Final Results

Adrian Lewis 10-9 Stephen Bunting

Gary Anderson 10-8 James Wade

Phil Taylor 10-5 Peter Wright

Michael van Gerwen 10-8 Raymond van Barneveld

Phil Taylor put his Premier League disappointment behind him with a comprehensive 10-5 win over Peter Wright in the quarter-finals of the Dubai Masters on Friday.

The 16-time world champion, who failed to qualify for the Premier League knockout stages for the first time ever last month, was far too good for his colourfully dressed opponent. As we can see here courtesy of the official PDC Twitter account, The Power was at his dominant best in this one:

"

MATCH STATS: Averages from @PhilTaylor v @snakebitewright at the @DubaiDarts this evening! http://t.co/eUSZwn4TsL pic.twitter.com/b1dJrmNdRI

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 28, 2015"

Taylor looked a little fatigued during the Premier League, and although it would have been galling for him to miss out on finals night, the chance to rest up with some big challenges to come may well prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Wright did have opportunities, but as his checkout percentage illustrates, he was too profligate. Up against Taylor in this form—he rattled off a 10-dart finish in the 12th leg—you simply can’t afford to let chances slip by.

Taylor will play reigning world champion Gary Anderson in the semi-finals, but the newly crowned Premier League winner was given a scare in his match against James Wade, eventually edging through a 10-8 victory.

Wade had an 8-7 lead in this one, but after landing a 100 checkout to move level, the Scot upped the ante. He broke to go 9-8 ahead before finishing off in style, taking out 147 to clinch his spot in the last four of the competition.

Here’s what he had to say in the aftermath:

"

WATCH: @GaryAnderson180 reflects on his winning start in the @DubaiDarts against James Wade! #DDFDarts https://t.co/H0FwnMfFL9

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) May 28, 2015"

In the final game of the evening, Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld produced a cracking all-Dutch clash, with the former eventually triumphing 10-8.

Van Barneveld raced into an early 4-1 lead, but after the interval, some stunning darts from his compatriot—including two 11-dart legs and one 13-dart leg—levelled things up at 5-5. As noted by Live Darts, MVG was on a roll:

"

UPDATE: Back-to-back 11-darters from Mighty Mike sees him close the gap to just 4-3 behind. Can Barney stop the surge this time? #darts

— Live Darts (@livedarts) May 28, 2015"

The match settled down into a pattern from that point onward, but in the 15th leg a stunning 127 checkout from Van Gerwen gave him a break of throw and an 8-7 advantage. Van Barneveld, a five-time world champion in his own right, broke straight back with an incredible 11-dart finish.

But Van Gerwen knows what's required to get over the line in major matches these days, and he rattled off consecutive legs to take the victory.

He’ll face Adrian Lewis in the other semi-final after the man from Stoke-on-Trent beat Stephen Bunting in the match of the night.

Bunting played superbly for the most part, putting Lewis under pressure with heavy scoring and forensic finishing. With the match poised at 9-7 in the Liverpudlian’s favour, it only seemed a matter of time before he clinched this one.

But Bunting got twitchy, and when you’re playing a two-time world champion like Lewis, that’s a fatal error. After Jackpot reduced the deficit to just one, Bunting missed three darts to win this match in the penultimate leg, meaning a decider was required. With momentum behind him, Lewis won his third successive leg and clinched the tie.