Second Seed Michael Smith Eliminated from World Championship by Kevin Doets

Former champion Michael Smith has been sensationally knocked out of the PDC World Championship by Kevin Doets, a surprising exit for Smith who was 2-1 ahead. The Englishman, seeded second, was defeated 3-2 following an intense second-round duel at Alexandra Palace in London. Dutchman Doets secured a 6-4 victory in the deciding set, even though the 2023 champion Smith achieved checkouts of 123, 84, 94, and 76. World number 51 Doets commented, “This was the most stressful game of my life and I’ve won it, yes.” He added, “I felt if I can keep my focus, I won’t lose this. It was so very tight, to get over the line was amazing.” The 26-year-old Doets claimed the initial set and mounted a comeback after trailing 2-1, thereby avenging his close loss to Smith at the identical stage in the previous year’s competition. For Smith, aged 34, this marks his first second-round exit from the tournament since 2020, a result that will cause his ranking to fall to at least 15. Doets had previously advanced from the first round by defeating Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who holds the distinction of being the first transgender woman to compete in the tournament. In another captivating match, England’s Scott Williams, known for his unexpected journey to the semi-finals of the 2024 tournament where he was defeated by eventual champion Luke Humphries, triumphed over Niko Springer with a 3-1 score. Springer, a German making his debut and ranked second on this year’s development tour, secured all three legs in the initial set, after which the contest became highly competitive. Williams responded forcefully, displaying his characteristic confidence as he took the lead following an impressive third set that included seven 180s. The 34-year-old then narrowly won the decisive leg in the fourth set and is scheduled to face 2018 champion Rob Cross in the second round on Monday. Nick Kenny pleased the audience at Ally Pally by achieving a remarkable 170 finish to secure a 3-0 first-round win against American Stowe Buntz. The 31-year-old Welshman is set to compete against five-time world champion Raymond Barneveld on Saturday evening, an event that will also showcase teenage sensation Luke Littler playing against Ryan Meikle. Canadian player Matt Campbell advanced to a second-round encounter with Ryan Searle by defeating Austrian Mensur Suljovic 3-2. England’s Callan Rydz achieved an average of 107.06 to secure his spot in the second round, registering 27 scores of 100 or more against Romeo Grbavac, including three 180s. Subsequently, Gabriel Clemens was eliminated by Wales’ Robert Owen on Thursday afternoon. Rydz triumphed over Croatian Romeo Grbavac with a 3-0 score, establishing the tournament’s highest average for a first-round match in its present 96-player format. This performance also ranked as the competition’s 26th highest match average overall and was notably the best recorded to date at the 2025 event. The prior record was set by teenager Luke Littler, who achieved an average of 106.12 at the same stage last year. Rydz, hailing from Bedlington in Northumberland, is scheduled to face Germany’s Martin Schindler in the second round on Sunday evening. The afternoon session concluded with the defeat of Germany’s 27th seed Clemens by Owen, who holds a ranking 50 positions lower. Owen secured a 3-1 win, his second within a few days, thereby progressing to the third round, which is set to commence on 27 December. Lok Yin Lee of Hong Kong recovered from a one-set deficit to defeat Chris Landman 3-1, achieving this by winning nine consecutive legs. Lee is slated to compete against Northern Ireland’s Brendan Dolan in the second round on Saturday afternoon. Concurrently, Martin Lukeman, the runner-up in the 2024 Grand Slam of Darts, overcame a one-set disadvantage to defeat Indian qualifier Nitin Kumar 3-1. Lukeman will play against 21st seed Andrew Gilding on Monday afternoon, vying for a spot in the last 32. The results from the first round were: Chris Landman 1-3 Lok Yin Lee, Callan Rydz 3-0 Romeo Grbavac, and Martin Lukeman 3-1 Nitin Kumar. In the second round, the outcomes included: Gabriel Clemens 1-3 Robert Owen, Nick Kenny 3-0 Stowe Buntz, Mensur Suljovic 2-3 Matt Campbell, Scott Williams 3-1 Niko Springer, and Michael Smith 2-3 Kevin Doets. All listed times are GMT. The Afternoon Session (12:30) schedule features matches between Stephen Burton and Alexander Merkx, Wessel Nijman and Cameron Carolissen, Ian White and Sandro Eric Sosing, and Stephen Bunting and Kai Gotthardt. The Evening Session (19:00) includes contests involving Mickey Mansell against Tomoya Goto, Florian Hempel versus Jeffrey de Zwaan, William O’Connor taking on Dylan Slevin, and Michael van Gerwen facing James Hurrell.