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2nd January 2024
11:06am GMT

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 01: Scott Williams of England celebrates during his quarter final match against Michael van Gerwen of Netherlands on day 14 of the 2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace on January 01, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)[/caption]
"He has such a presence and he makes it tough up there, but if I give it back to him...people are scared of him on that stage, because he's such a threat up there but I wasn't going to let that happen today, and I didn't," he said.
Williams says he has the utmost respect for van Gerwen, describing him as the best thrower of his generation, but he knew from early doors on Monday night that the three-time champ wasn't on top form.
"I could kind of tell (he wasn't himself) while we were doing the practice in the little practice room we have," said Williams.
"He was always just that little bit off constantly. As soon as the crowd got involved, that was when I started playing my darts.
"Michael is the best player of our generation. But he wasn't the Michael van Gerwen you guys have seen over the last two or three games."
Some Dutch journalists at the venue attributed van Gerwen's off-colour showing to a stomach cramp, though this wasn't confirmed as he didn't fulfil his post-match media duties.
https://twitter.com/SkySportsDarts/status/1741926668401357285
Williams now advances to Tuesday night's semi-finals, where he'll take on fellow Englishman Luke Humphries.
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