Michael van Gerwen has admitted that he made too many mistakes during his 3-1 win against Joe Cullen in the first round of the PDC World Championship.
The defending champion was quick to praise his English opponent, who caused him problems early on, but expressed dissatisfaction with his own performance.
"A win is a win but Joe put me under a lot of pressure there," Van Gerwen told reporters. "He played very well. I felt a little bit of pressure to begin, being defending champion, and Joe is a fantastic player.
"I hit eight 180s but I need to concentrate more - I made too many mistakes tonight. I can't do that in my next match because sooner or later, I'll get punished for that. But I'll enjoy the moment."
The Dutchman was pegged back when Cullen produced an early 161 checkout, but his consecutive 180s proved enough to see him through to round two.
Written by
Mark Langshaw
Mark Langshaw
