In a display that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood achieved an unheard-of feat of 11 consecutive doubles, powering his way to a commanding 4-0 victory over Josh Rock in the third round of the prestigious World Darts Championship.
The 32-year-old, taking part in his first ever season on the top-tier professional circuit, continued his sensational tournament run. His perfect doubling streak finally concluded when he was throwing to seal the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. Undaunted, he composed himself to secure the victory with a superb 119 checkout in the very next leg.
âItâs not a fairytale â I am fully aware of what I can do and itâs nice to demonstrate it up there,â Hood stated in his post-match interview. âThe only time I felt a bit of nerves was on my throw the leg before the last. Iâm unaccustomed to this. Usually, I get negative comments. This is mad.â
Hood immediately signaled his intentions by securing the opening set with an lightning-fast break of throw. This left the favored Rock, the tournament's 11th seed, little to do but watch in amazement as Hood charged to victory, posting a impressive 101 average and hammering 10 maximum 180s.
This record-breaking win guarantees the newcomer a career-best payday of at least ÂŁ100,000 and edges him closer to his stated ambition of opening a Chinese restaurant.
In other last-16 action, Jonny Clayton confirmed his ascent to the number four spot in the global rankings after engineering a comeback from a set down to defeat Andreas Harrysson 4-2.
The Swedish contender was made to regret for squandering key opportunities, having led a 2-1 advantage and then missing four darts to regain a one-set lead at 3-2.
âA number of things on my mind and becoming world No. 4 was one of them,â confessed Clayton. âWhenever I looked up, Andreas was hitting his doubles. It was a real battle; I didnât play my best darts and had many loose attempts, but thatâs what the occasion does to you.â
Joining them in the next round is Krzysztof Ratajski, who pulled away in the closing phases to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, booking his place in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
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