VAN VEEN ADMITS HE DIDN'T EVEN RECOGNISE OPPONENT KRUEGER BEFORE US DARTS MASTERS CLASH

GIAN VAN VEEN admitted he did not even recognise opponent Fred Krueger when the pair met ahead of the US Darts Masters.

World No3 Van Veen avoided a nightmare in New York by brushing aside Krueger 6-1 with a solid 91.76 average to book his place in the quarter-finals, where he will face Jonny Clayton on Friday night.

But Van Veen, 24, confessed he had no idea who Krueger was when they crossed paths at a pre-tournament promotional event.

He said: "Even yesterday at the meet and greet he was standing right in front of me and I didn't recognise him.

"Then he said, 'We're playing tomorrow,' and I was like, 'Oops, sorry!'

"But he played really well.

"I don't think the 6-1 scoreline reflected the game.

"He missed a few doubles and it could easily have been 6-3 or maybe even 6-4.

"He can definitely look back on it as a very positive debut."

The Giant was delighted to make his World Series debut at Madison Square Garden, having previously only passed through the United States on a stopover.

He added: "The walk-on itself was something different. It's not something we've done before, so for me as a player it was really unique.

"Even walking onto the stage, there were fans at the front giving me handshakes and fist bumps. It was something special.

"Then, walking into Madison Square Garden this afternoon to prepare for the match, you realise it's still Madison Square Garden. It's fantastic to be here.

“It's an iconic venue and it doesn't get much better than this. As soon as you walk in, you realise how big an arena it is.

“There was security everywhere and I even had to show my ID just to get into the building.

“It's different to all the other venues and it's a privilege to be here.”

Van Veen was delighted with the result after staying away from the practice board since competing at the Slovak Open last Saturday.

He continued: "After Slovakia I didn't touch a dart for a couple of days. I was just enjoying my time here, so I felt a little bit rusty today.

“That's part of the game and I'm happy with a 6-1 win. It wasn't my prettiest performance, but I'm just happy to get the job done.”

Words: Aaron Nijjar