And then he turned it around again, this high-class but complicated game. As so often happens when he stands on the big stage – and his arrows land in the triple-20 field as if by machine: The English darts professional Michael Smith had survived a so-called match arrow against him, he had forced extra time – and was now in the lead. The former world champion was still missing one last mini-game section. The biggest surprise so far at this year’s tournament seemed to be averted. But then the game tipped over again.
And in favor of a Dutchman. Kevin Doets achieved the most significant victory of his darts career on Thursday evening and gave co-favorite Smith a defeat of the most unpleasant kind. Smith, the champion from two years ago, fought as best he could against the second-round exit at London’s Alexandra Palace. It was 2:2 after sets, Smith led 4:3 legs in the decisive fifth set – and the Ally Pally suspected that the Englishman was now at it again. But then Doets did Smith things: From then on, his dart tips laid siege to the triple 20 field – and Smith really didn’t play badly. But his opponent was even better. After 34 minutes, the 26-year-old sank the final dart to make it 6:4, sealing the “Bullyboy’s” early exit.
:The whistles of the German fans
In a hall where everyone is already going overboard, the second largest group of spectators is particularly noticeable: the disgraceful behavior of German fans in the Ally Pally.
“This will be the best Christmas of my life,” said Doets later at the press conference in a side room of the palace. It was almost midnight on the island, but the Dutchman seemed anything but tired. “I stayed permanently focused in my head,” said Doets, who had defeated the first trans participant Noa-Lynn van Leuven two days earlier. Doets himself seemed surprised that he was able to maintain this level of concentration against Smith at such a high level. “I can’t explain it, it was just there.” And Michael Smith? Perhaps he didn’t want to and couldn’t explain it himself; the 34-year-old disappeared behind the stage without a word.
The elimination of the world number two against the 51st Doets was not the only unexpected turn of the World Cup tournament in London. The German Gabriel Clemens, who was seeded for round two, was eliminated on Thursday. He also showed a performance that in most cases would probably be enough to make it into the top 32. But similar to Smith, the Saarlander’s opponent also turned out to be unexpectedly complicated. Robert Owen from Wales quickly moved ahead 2-0 after sets. Then Clemens improved, won set three, and it looked like a comeback. But the Welshman caught himself – and ended the match early with 3-1.
From a German perspective, Thursday didn’t really develop any better. In the evening, Mainz World Cup debutant Niko Springer played a remarkable match against last year’s semi-finalist Scott Williams and left clues as to why he is currently considered the greatest talent in the German darts scene. However, after taking a 1-0 lead, the 24-year-old revealed weaknesses in hitting the crucial double fields – and in the end, despite a strong performance, he lost 3-1 to the Englishman. On Friday evening, Florian Hempel from Cologne will take part in the World Cup tournament, before the currently best German darts professional Martin Schindler competes against the British Callan Rydz on Saturday evening.
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