European champion Gian van Veen has booked his place in the second round of the PDC World Championship, but 12th seed Ross Smith suffered a shock elimination in the first round.
Expectations are high for Van Veen after a successful 2025 and, after falling at the first hurdle on both of his previous visits to Alexandra Palace, there will be an element of relief following their 3-1 victory over Spain’s Cristo Reyes.
The Dutch number 10, a two-time world junior champion, fought for victory in the first set despite not reaching his best before taking a step forward in the second, averaging 107, to go 2-0 up.
Reyes hit back in the third after posting 167 to win the first leg and got a break in the fourth, only for Van Veen to show his courage and come back to secure his first win of the tournament.
“I finally crossed that line,” the 23-year-old, who averaged 98.91, told Sky Sports.
“Today, walking on this stage, you feel like a 16-year-old again. I was very nervous! But as soon as the first darts came in, I thought, ‘Okay, you belong here.'”
But while Van Veen can prepare for the second round, Smith returns home after a 3-2 loss to 50-year-old Swedish debutant Andreas Harrysson.
Smith missed six darts in the fourth set and was made to pay when Harryson pressed on to win the deciding set three games to one.
Also in the afternoon session, Englishman Ricky Evans beat Hong Kong’s Man Lok Leung 3-0 and Australian Damon Heta, seeded number 16, earned a 3-1 victory over Irishman Steve Lennon.
