Michael Smith’s alarming run of form continued as he crashed out of the World Championship at the first hurdle in a stunning defeat to Kevin Doets.
Smith’s form has spiralled since he became world champion in 2023 and it hit a new low after Doets won a deciding set tiebreak 6-4 to claim a 3-2 victory.
For Smith, who was seeded second, not only will he be home and out of the competition before Christmas, he will also drop out of the top 10 in the new year.
Doets was able to earn his Ally Pally redemption after losing to Smith in a final-set decider at the same stage 12 months ago.
“Last year I won the bull and he won 3-2. This year he won the bull and so I thought to myself, I’m gonna win it 3-2. But…