GURNEY BEATS VAN GERWEN AT WORLD SERIES OF DARTS FINALS

Daryl Gurney beat defending champion Michael van Gerwen 6-5 in the opening round of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam, according to the BBC. Gurney, from Northern Ireland, took a 3-0 lead before Van Gerwen won five successive legs to move to the brink of victory. Gurney then won the ninth leg, and after Van Gerwen missed six match darts, the match was levelled at 5-5 before Gurney won the decider on his own throw. Gurney entered the tournament as a late replacement for Lourence Ilagan, who withdrew from the 32-player field.

Gurney will play England's Ross Smith in the last 16 on Saturday, after Smith beat Kevin Doets 6-3. World number one Luke Littler is set to begin his campaign on Friday against Danny Noppert, a former UK Open champion, having beaten the Dutchman 6-0 at the Czech Darts Open. World number two Luke Humphries beat Jermaine Wattimena 6-4, while Dutch number one Gian van Veen beat Chris Dobey 6-2.

Elsewhere in the first round, Dirk van Duijvenbode came from 4-1 down to beat Sweden's Viktor Tingstrom 6-4, and Ryan Searle threw four 180s in a 6-2 win over former world champion Rob Cross. Searle will face Josh Rock, who won the last three legs to beat Stephen Bunting 6-5, in the next round. Karel Sedlacek marked his tournament debut with a 6-4 win over New Zealand's Ben Robb and will play Van Veen next.