Van Gerwen storms into final
Michael van Gerwen is taking nothing for granted after securing his place in the final of the PDC World Championship for the second straight year.
The Dutchman, who lost to Phil Taylor at Alexandra Palace in the last campaign, was playing in the second semi-final of the night on Monday and blew away two-time champion Adrian Lewis 6-0 with a 103.02 average as his opponent struggled to hit his doubles.
The 24-year-old will take on Peter Wright in the New Year's Day showpiece after the world number 16 beat Simon Whitlock 6-2, but is not looking too far ahead after his remarkable victory.
"I'm really pleased to win the game in this fashion, and to be involved in the final for a second straight year feels fantastic," Van Gerwen told pdc.tv.
"Adrian missed a couple of chances to win the first leg which I managed to win, and the game followed a similar pattern from there.
"Adrian didn't play badly and didn't deserve to lose 6-0. But I took my chances really well tonight and timed them to perfection.
"Even at 5-0 up I kept my focus as Adrian is a class player and can produce a long run of winning legs in quick time, so it was a great feeling to hit double 11 and end the game.
"I can relax tomorrow and prepare myself for the final against Peter. Many will probably regard me as favourite, but Peter has produced a very high standard in all his games and will be a dangerous opponent."
Stoke-thrower Lewis was gracious in defeat but admitted that he could never recover momentum after missing a string of early finishes.
"It's one of those games where I've missed so many doubles early doors and he's taken his chances out," he told Sky Sports 1.
"Fair play to Mike there. Probably, I outscored him, but he was just hitting a double.
"My (double) tops and my (double) 10s have been good all week and tonight unfortunately it wasn't for me."
The earlier semi-final was a more low-key affair as Wright showed impressive form to average 100.24 on his way to victory over Australian Whitlock.
The Scot did not compete in either World Championship tournament between 1996 and 2009 but could now complete a remarkable career turnaround with victory on Wednesday.
"I'm pretty emotional right now as I've just realised what I've achieved," he told pdc.tv.
"I held myself together well throughout. My finishing was excellent - particularly on double 16 - and I didn't give Simon a sniff at any stage.
"I knew that I've been playing really well throughout the last 12 months, and I've managed to keep that form going into the biggest tournament in the game."
