Darts sensation perfect! World champion loses darts thriller at the Ally Pally and is out

London (Great Britain) - End of the line for the champion, the first big sensation of the current Darts World Championship is perfect!

Failed in the first round: England's darts superstar Michael Smith (34).
Failed in the first round: England's darts superstar Michael Smith (34).  © Bradley Collyer/PA Wire/dpa

In the last match of last Thursday evening, title contender Michael Smith (34) surprisingly lost to Dutchman Kevin Doets (26) and was eliminated in round one.

However, the Englishman's elimination was not a foregone conclusion - even if only at the start of the match: the bully boy got off to a great start with three legs and the resulting set win.

But Smith, who had been seeded number two before the match, was unable to add to his tally, as his eight-year-old opponent fought back in impressive fashion - and equalized two of Smith's set wins.

And so the match turned out to be a gripping thriller that not only had the TV audience on the edge of their seats, but also turned the packed and time-honored Alexandra Palace - affectionately known as the Ally Pally - in the north of the metropolis of London into a raging madhouse.

With the score at 2:2, the match went into extra time, where Doets was able to build on his previous performance and finally bag a 3:2 victory after ten legs.

Big darts surprise: Kevin Doets defeats world champion Michael Smith

"I can't describe it. This match was strange. The last set was incredible," said the Dutchman, hardly able to believe his success in the thriller duel against the 2023 world champion.

"This is the most stressful match I've ever had in my life. Oh yes! I thought that if I concentrated, I wouldn't lose the game. It was very close," Doets reflected on what had happened and also explained: "To get over the line is incredible. Winning this game means so much."

Clenched fists after the mega triumph! Dutchman Kevin Doets (26) let his emotions run free after the game.
ContentImage.Description   © Bradley Collyer/PA Wire/dpa

With the defeat, Smith now slips to 16th place in the world rankings and has to make do with prize money of 15,000 pounds (the equivalent of around 18,000 euros).

Doets, on the other hand, can continue to dream and will face Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski or the winner of the duel between Richard Veenstra and Alexis Toylo in the next round on December 28.