Michael van Gerwen: Three-time world champion suffers shock defeat by Irish amateur Michael Flynn in Players Championship

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Michael van Gerwen: Three-time world champion suffers shock defeat by Irish amateur Michael Flynn in Players Championship

Irish amateur Michael Flynn says his shock victory over three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen is a “massive moment” in his career.

Flynn beat Van Gerwen 6-4 in the first round of the third Players Championship of 2025 in Rosmalen, the Netherlands.

The 32-year-old, who works in social care in County Limerick in his day job, was only added to the PDC event’s entry list on Sunday morning after a number of withdrawals.

It meant a three-hour dash by car from his home in the west of Ireland to Dublin airport to catch a flight to the Netherlands to ensure he reached the tournament in time.

Flynn – nicknamed ‘the Flyer’ – is ranked 11th on the Challenge Tour, which is used as a reserve list for Players Championship events.

“MVG wasn’t the name you want to see as your first opponent – you’d hope for an easier game,” Flynn told BBC Sport.

“I knew my form was good coming into the tournament but to beat a three-time world champion is a massive moment in my career.”

Flynn’s average of 92.41 in the match was lower than Van Gerwen’s 97.01 but he held his nerve at the crucial moments.

Van Gerwen’s appearance at the Autotron Centre in Rosmalen was the 35-year-old Dutchman’s first in this year’s Players Championship.

Flynn was beaten 6-4 by Poland’s Tytus Kanik in the next round but acknowledged his victory over Van Gerwen, who finished runner-up to Luke Littler in the 2025 PDC World Championship, will give him a huge lift.

He added: “When you are playing someone like Van Gerwen you have to tune in from the get-go. It kind of opened my eyes to the professional circuit, the standard you have to be at from the off if you want to get a win.

“It will give me confidence moving forward and shows me my game is there if I can continue it and take it back to the Challenge Tour.”

World number 10 Chris Dobey won the overall tournament with a comfortable 8-4 victory over Dutch outsider Jelle Klaasen in the final.

There are 34 Players Championship events across the year. The second part of the Rosmalen double-header will take place on Tuesday, with the competition’s finals held in Minehead from 21 to 23 November.

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