Grand Slam of Darts 2017: Michael Van Gerwen Advances, Phil Taylor Wins

Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson and Raymond van Barneveld all won in the 2017 Grand Slam of Darts at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Sunday.

Defending champion MVG survived a 4-2 deficit to win a thriller against Rob Cross in the evening session, before Barney closed out the day's play by overcoming Gerwyn Price after being 3-0 down on a day of comebacks.

Like Van Gerwen, who qualified for the last 16, Taylor came back from 4-2 down, surviving four match darts before beating Robbie Green.

Earlier, Anderson qualified for the last 16 after beating a struggling Berry van Peer in an emotional match during the afternoon session.

Here are the results from the day's matches:

Afternoon Session

Group A

• Alan Norris 3-5 Glen Durrant
• Peter Wright 5-0 Corey Cadby

Group F

• Jeffrey de Zwaan 3-5 Scott Mitchell
• Dave Chisnall 2-5 Stephen Bunting

Group G

• Mensur Suljovic 5-4 Michael Smith
• James Wilson 5-2 Mark McGeeney

Group H

• Simon Whitlock 2-5 Cameron Menzies
• Gary Anderson 5-1 Berry van Peer

Evening Session

Group A

• Joe Murnan 3-5 Ross Montgomery
• Michael van Gerwen 5-4 Rob Cross

Group D

• Darren Webster 5-2 Danny Noppert
• Daryl Gurney 5-3 Mark Webster

Group B

• Steve Lennon 5-0 Jamie Hughes
• Raymond van Barneveld 5-4 Gerwyn Price

Group C

• James Wade 5-1 Peter Machin
• Phil Taylor 5-4 Robbie Green

Full standings and an updated schedule are available at the PDC official website.

Afternoon Recap

Dave Chisnall was stunned by Stephen Bunting when the latter pinned bullseye to complete an 81 checkout and open a 2-0 lead. It was 4-1 when Chisnall hit double-four to stay in the match, but he would get no closer as Bunting saw things out in the next leg.

Scott Mitchell beat Jeffrey de Zwaan in the other match in Group F.

Earlier, Anderson had booked his place in the last 16 by beating Van Peer in an emotional match. The latter was reduced to tears as he continued to struggle against Dartitis—not being able to release the dart—per Lewis Winter of the Daily Express.

Anderson's experience proved decisive as Van Peer struggled, leading to a comprehensive 5-1 win for the Flying Scotsman. Afterward, Anderson offered words of support for his vanquished opponent:

Elsewhere in Group H, Cameron Menzies saw off Simon Whitlock 5-2, meaning elimination for the latter. Menzies will next play Van Peer to decide who will progress to the last 16.

Group E saw Peter Wright recover from his shock loss to Glen Durrant on Saturday. Snakebite whitewashed Corey Cadby to keep his qualification hopes alive.

Solid form on the doubles helped Wright make it through, per Live Darts:

Durrant also qualified after earning his second straight win when he topped Alan Norris to keep him in pole position in Group A.

Unlike Wright, Mensur Suljovic had a tougher time seeing off Michael Smith. Suljovic eventually scraped the win, despite Smith's impressive scoring at the oche:

The other match in Group G featured James Wilson beating Mark McGeeney with room to spare.

Evening Recap

The evening session started with Ross Montgomery eliminating Joe Murnan. As Live Darts detailed, Montgomery put together impressive form on the doubles:

Next up, Darren Webster stormed into a 3-0 lead over Danny Noppert. The latter responded by completing a 42 checkout to finally get on the board.

Noppert made it 3-2 when he pinned double-10, but Webster won the next two legs to confirm the win.

The other match in Group D was a thriller, as Gurney overcame Mark Webster. SuperChin was unerring on doubles, per PDC Darts:

Later, Steve Lennon broke throw to move 4-0 ahead against Jamie Hughes. Lennon then wasted no time completing the whitewash to lay down a marker in Group B.

A healthy scoring average was the foundation for Lennon's win:

James Wade did what he needed to do to eliminate Peter Machin and register his first win in Group C. The Machine isn't in the best form, but he has the ability to go far in this tournament if he finds his groove.

Taylor couldn't find his range on doubles, allowing Green to race into a 3-1 lead. Yet a costly miss from Green helped The Power get back in it at 3-2 after hitting double-eight.

Not deterred, Green pinned double-13 to move within a leg of a stunning upset. The shock win was delayed when Taylor completed a 93 checkout to move to within one.

A 105 finish made it 4-4 amid some vintage darts from The Power. Taylor hit 140 and landed a maximum to start the next leg, before hitting double-16 to escape defeat and wrap up a dramatic comeback.

The stats showed how close this instant classic was:

Now it was time for Van Gerwen's meeting with Cross, a rematch of this year's Grand Prix final, won by Mighty Mike. Van Gerwen got a reprieve when 1-0 down as Cross squandered three chances to break throw, allowing MVG to level things up.

Cross had Van Gerwen reeling when he took out double-four, then he completed a 170 checkout after finding bullseye for a 4-2 lead. Mighty Mike responded with a 180 before landing double-eight got him back to within one.

Inexplicably, Cross missed two match darts at tops, allowing MVG to pin double-18 and even things at four apiece. Van Gerwen wrapped things up by hitting double-14.

MVG's average showed he has carried his best form into this tournament as he reached the next round:

Price took out 49 then hit double-10 to go 2-0 up against Van Barneveld. It was 3-0 Price when the Iceman missed double-nine, allowing Barney to pin double-10 to get on the board.

Van Barneveld found double-nine to make it 3-2 and put the pressure back on Price. Needing a response, the latter hit tops for a 4-2 advantage.

Yet in a true show of composure in the clutch, Barney found double-12 to cut the gap again. He was now in the groove on doubles, and double-four finally drew Van Barneveld level.

Double-10 wrapped up Barney's fightback. Afterward, he described his nerves after falling behind early:

The big names are all making their presence felt so far. Van Gerwen, Taylor and Van Barneveld all need to play better, especially since Anderson is in fine form.