Michael van Gerwen advanced to the last 32 of the UK Open with a 10-8 win over Nathan Aspinall in the fourth round on Friday evening in Minehead, but the three-time champion was not entirely satisfied. Despite producing strong spells, Van Gerwen felt he let the match stay tense too long by missing chances, telling Viaplay, "I'm definitely satisfied. Especially some phases of the match were really fantastic, I think. But there were also a few negatives. I'm always critical of myself, so there are still a few big negatives as well." He noted the turning point came after an interval, saying, "I could have very easily won 10–7. The way I came out after the second break wasn't fantastic either."
The Dutchman stressed that striking at the right moments made the difference, adding, "I think I stayed very calm, struck at the right moments, and I think that's the most important thing." However, he was critical of needing three match darts to close it out, explaining, "You want to comfortably finish the match after the second break. I think maybe I got a little too comfortable after that break. Then your sharpness drops just a little bit, and that can't happen. So next time that needs to be better as well, and then I can still show a lot of great things — I'm sure of that."
Van Gerwen highlighted that this win marked an improvement on recent UK Open editions where he suffered early exits, recalling, "Yes, back then it was the first round. Exactly. And three years ago I also played the first round against Nathan Aspinall." With title ambitions in Minehead, he feels a strong result is necessary to kick-start his season, stating, "I definitely need it, and I'm aware of that. So you have to try to show yourself, to shine, and just try to win your matches. And then a lot is still possible."
Despite the positive start, Van Gerwen remains cautious, emphasizing, "You haven't achieved anything yet. It's just one match. Everyone is already celebrating, of course. I played a good match against Nathan Aspinall, sure, but tomorrow and the day after there are still many great matches ahead. So you just have to be ready again for every match." The PDC Darts Twitter account noted he averaged just shy of 102 in the performance.
