MICHAEL VAN GERWEN clinched his 26th European Tour title and a sixth of the year as he defeated William O’Connor 8-2 in the final of the European Darts Matchplay on Sunday.

The world number one hit a nine-dart leg against Ryan Joyce on Saturday evening, before backing up last month’s Gibraltar Darts Trophy crown with another triumph to continue his dominance in 2018.

The fourth staging of the tournament at the edel-optics.de Arena saw runner-up O’Connor enjoy his best ever run in a European Tour event, but Van Gerwen produced a sensational display in the final, averaging 105.17 as he picked up the £25,000 prize.

Van Gerwen hit an astonishing tournament average of 103.06 as he defeated Joyce in round two, before powering past Robert Thornton 6-1 to reach the quarter-finals.

The final session of the weekend saw the Dutchman see off a determined Ian White 6-4, followed by a 7-4 victory over Stephen Bunting to reach the final. “I am delighted to win this trophy and I’m pleased with how I played this weekend,” said Van Gerwen, who has lost just two matches on the European Tour in 2018.

“William played really well all weekend, it was a phenomenal performance from him but there can only be one winner and luckily it was me.

2018 European Darts Matchplay

Sunday July 1st July

Third Round

Afternoon Session (1.15pm local time, 12.15pm BST)

Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Robert Thornton
Ian White 6-2 Darren Webster
Joe Cullen 4-6 Justin Pipe
Daryl Gurney 5-6 Stephen Bunting
Jelle Klaasen 1-6 Andy Boulton
Jason Lowe 2-6 Gerwyn Price
Mensur Suljovic 6-2 Paul Rowley
William O’Connor 6-5 Kim Huybrechts

Evening Session (7.15pm local time, 6.15pm BST)

Quarter-Finals

Michael van Gerwen 6-4 Ian White
Justin Pipe 3-6 Stephen Bunting
Andy Boulton 6-5 Gerwyn Price
Mensur Suljovic 3-6 William O’Connor

Semi-Finals

Michael van Gerwen 7-4 Stephen Bunting
Andy Boulton 3-7 William O’Connor

Final

Michael van Gerwen 8-2 William O’Connor