Australian qualifier Raymond Smith is one of 24 players making their debut at this year’s World Darts Championship, and he has his sights set on claiming the scalp of top seed Michael van Gerwen.
The 39-year-old from Queensland secured his Alexandra Palace debut by topping the DPA Australian Pro Tour rankings, and he will take on former World Championship quarter-finalist Alan Tabern in the first round on Friday afternoon.
The winner of that clash will take on world No 1 Michael van Gerwen in the second round, but Smith is relishing the possibility of facing the two-time world champion on darts’ biggest stage.
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“I’ve seen the draw and it looks pretty tidy, but I’ve got a few scalps under my belt already so there’s no reason I can’t [beat Van Gerwen],” he told Sky Sports.
Smith competed in the 2017 BDO World Championship, winning his preliminary-round tie before losing in straight sets to Belgian star Geert de Vos.
However, the Australian reached the quarter-finals of this year’s Brisbane Darts Masters, thrashing Premier League finalist Michael Smith 6-1 to seal a spot at the World Series Finals in Vienna.
Smith was beaten 6-5 by five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld in that event, and now the Aussie is eyeing a showdown with another Dutch darting giant.
“I’ve got to get through the first round first, so that’s my focus,” Smith said.
“If I come up against Michael van Gerwen – I’ve played him before, I’m confident and I’m in good form; there’s no reason I can’t cause an upset.”
Van Gerwen has scooped 18 individual titles in another trophy-laden season and ‘The Green Machine’ is the favourite to claim his third World Championship crown on New Year’s Day.
Smith is a 2,500/1 outsider at this year’s event, but his confidence is evidenced by the fact he has not booked a return flight until January 1, and he is bidding to be at Ally Pally for the long haul.
Can Raymond Smith cause a huge shock at Alexandra Palace? Hit play on the video above to look back at some of the biggest shocks over the last decade at the World Darts Championship!
You can follow every dart from every session of the World Darts Championships on Sky Sports Darts, coverage gets underway on Thursday with a live preview show from 6.30pm followed by Day One – check out the full schedule here
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