Darts boasts a rivalry to rank with any other

Dubai: Rivalries are an intrinsic part of any sport and darts boasts its own special match-up — Phil Taylor versus Michael van Gerwen, the veteran champion against the young pretender.

The all-conquering Taylor has reigned supreme in his sport for the past 20 years, winning 16 global crowns, and is impressively still the world number one despite being the venerable age of 52.

Bald wonder Van Gerwen, 28 years Taylor’s junior, is second in the world rankings and lost to Taylor in January’s world championship final. However, he triumphed in their most recent encounter, powering to a 10-8 win in the final of Britain’s top darts tournament, the Premier League, last week.

When asked by Gulf News if he was now the man to beat at the inaugural Dubai Duty Free Masters, which got underway at the Dubai Tennis Stadium on Thursday night, Van Gerwen said: “The bookmakers make me the man to beat, but Phil Taylor is always the man to beat. He’s the 16-time world champion, but I am doing very well. I am confident. You get confidence by winning games and I want to be world number one.”

Taylor said he was relishing the stern challenge posed by the prodigious youngster, having enjoyed the upper hand in his battles with Van Gerwen’s fellow Dutchman, the five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld, in recent years.

He said: “Me and Michael are going to have a lot of battles and he’s my next adversary, the next Raymond van Barneveld. All my career, I’ve had people come along and beat me, and knock me off my pedestal. Michael’s knocked me off my pedestal and I’ve got to get back up and I’ve got to knock him off now, and that’s what I’ll be after.”