Niels Zonneveld described his victory as the “biggest win of my life” after producing a composed and clinical display to defeat former world champion Michael Smith on Day Ten of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace. Andrew Gilding also impressed on Saturday, delivering one of the performances of the tournament so far to eliminate eighth seed Chris Dobey.
Saturday’s double session marked the start of the second round, and it proved to be a bruising day for the seeded players. Smith and Dobey were among four seeds to exit, as the championship continued to underline its reputation for drama and unpredictability.
Smith, the 2022/23 world champion, became the second former title holder to bow out this year. The St Helens star was locked in a high-quality contest with Zonneveld, with the opening two sets finely balanced. However, the match turned in the third set when Smith missed a crucial dart at tops, allowing the Dutchman to seize the initiative.
Zonneveld showed remarkable composure thereafter, moving 2–1 ahead before producing finishes of 70 and 74 and a clinical 12-dart hold to complete a landmark victory. “I can’t describe how much this means to me,” said Zonneveld, who will now face world number five Jonny Clayton for a place in the last 16. “This is a big step towards the top 32 for me. I think this is the biggest victory of my life. Jonny is a world-class player, so I will have to be at my best, but for now I’m going to enjoy Christmas with my family.”
Dobey then became the highest-ranked casualty of the tournament as Gilding produced his highest-ever average on the Ally Pally stage in a superb 3–1 win. After conceding the opening set, the former UK Open champion responded with authority, landing a sensational ten-darter to take a pivotal third set and shrugging off a spectacular 167 checkout from Dobey early in the fourth. “I’m a little bit surprised by that,” admitted Gilding. “Chris is a top-eight player in the world, so I’m more than happy with that performance.”
Fourth seed Stephen Bunting had a far more straightforward evening, cruising into round three with a straight-sets victory over India’s Nitin Kumar. Bunting impressed with his finishing, hitting 53% of his doubles, and praised Kumar as “a fantastic ambassador for our sport” despite the one-sided scoreline.
Elsewhere, James Hurrell set up a meeting with Bunting after a dramatic deciding-set win over Dirk van Duijvenbode, while Ryan Searle caught the eye by averaging close to 99 in a dominant straight-sets success against Brendan Dolan. Ricardo Pietreczko survived a five-set thriller against Dave Chisnall, and debutant Andreas Harrysson continued his impressive run by defeating Motomu Sakai.
The championship continues on Sunday, with reigning champion Luke Littler returning to the stage alongside former winners Gerwyn Price and Rob Cross, as the post-Christmas action edges ever closer.
Source: PDC.TV
