Michael Smith, who also lost the 2019 final, was leading 5-4 and had the darts to go within a set of victory, before Peter Wright claimed a 7-5 victory at the Alexandra Palace to become a two-time world champion
By Ali Stafford
Last Updated: 04/01/22 6:10am
New PDC Darts World Champion Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright has backed Michael Smith to become a dominant force in the sport once he secures that elusive major title.
Smith fell narrowly short in his bid for a maiden world championship victory, fighting back from 2-0 and 3-2 down to lead 5-4 before Wright rattled off three consecutive sets to claim a thrilling 7-5 victory at the Alexandra Palace.
The Englishman’s loss is his sixth runner-up finish in a major final, although Wright – now a two-time World Champion – has predicted Smith to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy in the future.
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“It’s not about me, it’s about the future of darts and this man let me in today,” Wright told Sky Sports after his victory. “I shouldn’t have had the first set – go and practice your doubles man! I feel so bad because as soon as he gets a major, he’ll just trounce everybody.”
Wright added: “Obviously I’m over the moon [to win]. Me and Mike [Michael Smith] didn’t perform how we can. I can’t explain what went wrong for 90 per cent of the match. I just kept swapping darts to try and find something.
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“It’s just the atmosphere in here. It was really strange tonight and my darts were going in everywhere, but luckily I won.
“The atmosphere in here affected my darts so badly and affected Michael’s as well, but it will be Michael’s turn [to win] soon.”
Smith’s defeat is his second in a world final, three years on from losing 7-3 to Michael van Gerwen, with the ninth seed remaining determined to challenge for his long-awaited TV title in 2022.
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“I got five sets instead of three, so I’m getting closer!” Smith told Sky Sports. “I must have done something terrible in a past life because it’s doing my head in now. I’ll have a bad night tonight but I’ll definitely be back on that board and getting ready for the next one.
“I was 2-0 down and wasn’t playing the best I could but I kept fighting back and fighting back. In the end, that bullseye wouldn’t go in! I had a couple of shots at 104 and stuff, but that’s darts I guess.”
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Source : Sky Sports
