Michael Smith has recorded a 7-4 victory over Michael van Gerwen to win the PDC world title, hitting a nine-dart leg on the way to success at the Alexandra Palace.
Smith, a two-time runner-up in the past, has endured televised final heartbreak time and time again, but the 32-year-old produced one of the performances of his career to achieve his childhood dream and become the new world number one in the process.
In the second set, Smith was also involved in the sport's greatest ever leg, hitting a nine-darter moments after Van Gerwen had missed double 12 for one of his own.
The pair also traded 37 180s, Smith hitting 22 of them, and he was a deserving winner having taken 26 of the 46 legs in one of the most thrilling matches in the history of the sport.
While Smith took the opening leg with a 13-darter, Van Gerwen took the next three legs, capitalising on Smith missing chances in two of those legs.
THE BEST LEG OF ALL TIME! 🤯🔥
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 3, 2023
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN MISSES D12 FOR A NINE-DARTER, AND THEN SMITH PINS A PERFECT LEG HIMSELF!
ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS YOU'LL EVER SEE IN SPORT. pic.twitter.com/WyKWFcxq5V
After the pair traded 90 and 87 checkouts, they then served up the greatest leg of darts that the sport has ever seen, Van Gerwen missing double 12 for a nine-darter before Smith achieved perfection in reply, hitting a 141 checkout after Van Gerwen had missed out on a 144.
More importantly, Smith retained his composure to take the next leg to level the set, averaging 128.09 to Van Gerwen's 120.73, and three 180s and a 101.39 average were enough for the Englishman to move 2-1 ahead.
Van Gerwen responded impressively, taking the fourth without reply, and he then edged in front as he won the fifth in a decider, chipping in with a 10-darter in the process.
The sixth proved to be the worst of the match, Smith taking it 3-1 with a 93 average, but the seventh was captivating, Van Gerwen missing two darts to take it 3-0, Smith levelling it with a 130 checkout and then holding his nerve to hit double six in the decider with his opponent on 58.
For the first time in the contest, someone moved two sets in front as Smith averaged 14 points higher than Van Gerwen to comfortably take the eighth by a 3-1 scoreline.
In the ninth, Van Gerwen averaged less than 81, allowing Smith to breeze to a whitewash set to leave the St Helens thrower a set away from ecstasy.
MICHAEL SMITH IS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD! 🏆
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 3, 2023
The man who was born to be World Champion fulfils his destiny, as Michael Smith defeats Michael van Gerwen 7-4 to claim the biggest prize in darts and become world number one!
Dare to dream. pic.twitter.com/36PxPY5W8q
However, Smith's level, understandably, dropped in the 10th, and although he took the set to a decider, he was only left on 110 when Van Gerwen checked out 35 with his last dart.
When Van Gerwen moved 2-0 ahead in the 11th, it appeared inevitable that the score would become 7-5, but Smith checked out 106 to halve the deficit and hit double 14 after Van Gerwen missed the bull for a 132 checkout to take the contest into a 12th set.
Throwing to become world champion, Smith hit six perfect darts and after leaving 32 after nine darts, Smith hit double eight for an 11-darter to finally fulfill the potential that he has promised for over a decade.
Darren Plant
