Surprise at World Cup
Darts superstar “Bullyboy” fails at the opening hurdle
12/20/2024 – 12:27 a.mReading time: 1 min.
Darts world champion Michael Smith was eliminated from the World Cup sensationally early. The Englishman, seeded number two, lost to the Dutchman Kevin Doets.
Darts world champion Michael Smith had to accept a bitter disappointment. The athlete, ranked number two in the world, failed at his opening hurdle almost two years after his triumph in the Ally Pally.
The Englishman surprisingly lost 2-3 against the Dutchman Kevin Doets, 51st in the world, making him the fourth seeded player to be thrown out of the tournament.
“Bully Boy,” as Smith is called, started the game confidently. But the Dutchman Doets canceled out his first set win as well as his second set win.
In the fifth set, Doets initially rushed ahead, but then missed match darts. Smith fought back, had the upper hand at times and finally seemed to be able to exploit his quality. But Doets remained undeterred and celebrated the surprising victory against the world number two in the deciding set after ten legs.
Previously, three professionals from the top 32 in the world had already been eliminated: Mike de Decker, James Wade and Gabriel Clemens.