Glorious Gary Anderson revels in his remarkable renaissance

“I’m just here to cause a headache,” Gary Anderson had told everyone in advance of this game, and for the great Michael van Gerwen the hangover from this crushing 4-1 defeat will comfortably outstrip any quantity of New Year’s Eve festivity. It was a little nervy at the end, a little scrappy and short of breath. But somehow the result had never really been in doubt from the early stages: Van Gerwen, the three-time champion, was simply outplayed by a man almost two decades his senior, a true darting maestro enjoying an uproarious final act to his career.

In reaching the quarter-finals of this tournament for the first time since 2022, Anderson has finally made good on a renaissance that has been at least a couple of years in the making. As the halcyon days of his career began to recede in a haze of domestic bliss, tournaments missed and general middle-aged apathy, it became common to speak of Anderson’s greatness in the past tense. The big prizes and bright lights no longer seemed to motivate him, and so it was hard to glimpse what actually did.

But that little spark of genius never truly left him, and nor had his simple love for a cracking game of darts. And so as he recalibrated his work-life balance, picking and choosing his assignments and getting far richer enjoyment out of the sport as a result, he became the dangerous floater in the draw, the vintage hand grenade that could still do considerable damage when lobbed in the right direction.

Perhaps this too will be Van Gerwen’s fate before long. Certainly as the Dutchman departed the stage with a sad shake of the head, it was hard to tell exactly what direction his career takes from here. The talent has not left him and nor has the ambition, but the aura disappeared years ago and over five awkward sets it was increasingly clear that so have the timing and killer instinct.

Michael van Gerwen’s powers are on the wane. Photograph: Steven Paston/PA

The raw numbers do not condemn him on their own: an average of 99.8 was fine, in fact a tick higher than Anderson’s. But drill a little deeper and a far more worrying picture emerges. Almost a quarter of his visits finished without a treble. His setup play from 200 downwards was appalling. As Anderson neared the finish line, exactly the moment when the Van Gerwen of old would have snapped into gear, he went stone cold. Just two of his last 19 attempts at double found the target.

And a Van Gerwen who can no longer master the big moments is basically a snarling Danny Noppert. Indeed strip away the history and the reputation and there is an increasingly workmanlike quality to him these days: a quiet competence and a solid consistency on the 60, but lacking the magic and mayhem that elevates the very good to the great. Indeed, should Gian van Veen beat Luke Humphries in his quarter‑final on Thursday, the unthinkable will come to pass: Van Gerwen will no longer even be the Dutch No 1.

It has, by his own admission, been a horrid year for him. There was a very public divorce from his wife, Daphne, the inevitable disruption to routines and mental equilibrium, a run of abject form on the board that he has not been practising enough to arrest. Perhaps the smartest move for Van Gerwen right now would be to skip next year’s Premier League, reassess his life and career, work out exactly what it is realistic for him to want from the sport.

The example of Anderson offers a template of sorts: a player who only really seriously started challenging again once he made his peace with the fact that he might never challenge again. Even now he refused to countenance actually winning the tournament. “Nope,” he said. “Listen, you hear too many people talking. The effort and time that I put in, compared to some of these other boys, is not even close. For what I put in, I do all right.”

And then there were eight. Luke Humphries, who looked supremely comfortable in dispatching Kevin Doets 4-1, plays Van Veen in the most eagerly anticipated of Thursday’s quarter-finals. Luke Littler should have little trouble with Krzysztof Ratajski. Ryan Searle is yet to lose a set, and his tussle with Jonny Clayton should provide cracking entertainment.

Anderson, meanwhile, plays the remarkable Justin Hood, the world No 86 who demolished Josh Rock 4-0 with an incredible 11 consecutive doubles. Strange things have been happening under the Palace roof. But a 55-year-old Anderson going all the way might just top the lot.