14:08
First break for Smith!
Both players pull hard into the finish area with the 180! Smith fails on the 69 before van Duijvenbode even has to drop the 40. With 32 left, Smith narrowly misses doubles twice before hitting double 16s in the top corner!
14:05
: Open exchange of blows!
Van Duijvenbode plays five out of six perfect darts, but Ross Smith also holds back. He almost gets the next high finish before missing the bullseye. Conversely, The Titan fails to check the 87, at which point the Smudger takes out the 25 with three darts.
14:03
: Sovereign to Leg
The Titan plays the first leg of the second set from the front, makes the 40 while Smith is still at 116 and checks over tops with ease. 1-0 for the Dutchman.
13:58
: First set for The Titan!
The Dutchman comes perfectly into the finish area with a 180, discards with 89 rest in the single 19, corrects with triple 20 and gets the set with the double 5. Meanwhile, Smith waits in vain for one last chance. So far, the Englishman has shown slightly better scoring here, but there are problems on the double fields.
13:55
: Again no double hits
Smith faces the 36 when behind him van Duijvenbode shortens significantly thanks to 171 points and builds up pressure. Maybe Smith thinks about it too long, but he also misses this chance on the leg. On the other hand, van Duijvenbode misses with the first shot, but then hits the double four!
13:53
: Next high finish!
Ross Smith creates a lot of pressure with the first 180 in the game but can’t check the 48 afterwards. Instead, The Titan steps on board and makes out a 136!
1:50 p.m
: The first leg!
At the beginning, Ross Smith gets the throw, with both players still holding back with the triple hits. With 154 left, Ross suddenly hits one, hits twice in the triple and grabs the first leg with double 18!
13:44
: Let the wild ride begin!
Van Duijvenbode and Smith march onto the stage, the atmosphere in the legendary Alexandra Palace is already excellent in the early afternoon. Have fun!
13:25
: The Smudger plots revenge
At the latest with the surprising victory at the European Darts Championship, Ross Smith played his way onto the notes of all darts friends. Thanks to the excellent result, the smudger started this tournament as number 19. Smith hit one of only four 100 averages in the tournament in a 3-1 win over Darius Labanauskas. Now eyes are on The Titan. Last year, Ross Smith was defeated by the Dutchman in round three with a score of 3:4. Can he turn the result today?
13:05
: The Titan back in the round of 16?
For Dirk van Duijvenbode it is only the fourth participation in the World Cup, but he has already reached the second round twice and even qualified for the quarter-finals in 2021. As 14th in the world rankings, the Dutchman would of course like to repeat these results and is probably even eyeing the really big hit. However, this requires an increase in performance compared to the second round win against Karel Sedláček. Already trailing 2-1 in sets, The Titan struggled to win in the final set.
12:50 p.m
: A good start to the match
Of course, every player wants to start the game well. Yesterday’s games showed, however, that the first set is far from over. Only Joe Cullen and Michael van Gerwen were able to advance to the next round after winning the first set. Otherwise, the early arrears were turned cheerfully. Caution should therefore be advised today.
12:33 p.m
: Completion of the 3rd round
Today, Thursday, the 3rd round of the PDC World Championship will be completed. Six Englishmen are in action for this. Two Dutchmen join them. One of them is Dirk van Duijvenbode, who wants to advance to the round of 16 against Ross Smith at 1:45 p.m.