Breaking News;Michael Smith has seen his Ally Pally ambitions ended.

Michael Smith gives away the No. 1 title and falls out of the World Darts Championship.
Michael Smith, the World Darts Champion from the previous year, was dismissed after Chris Dobey unexpectedly won and stunned Ally Pally.

Following an upset at Alexandra Palace, Michael Smith lost his title as world champion.

Chris Dobey pounded the reigning champion, who ultimately lost 4-0 despite a subpar showing. Because he missed eight of his twelve attempts at a double, Smith will not finish 2023 as the world’s top player; Michael Van Gerwen will take that spot instead.

After a merciless performance in which Smith equaled his scoring prowess and both players averaged over 102, Dobey—who recently became a parent for the second time—insisted he was ready to stay.

Following his victory, the underdog declared, “I’m not looking forward to playing Michael again! He allowed me in and, to be honest, missed a lot of doubles. Tonight, I felt a little uneasy and nervous; perhaps this was because I was portraying a close friend of mine.

But because he was the world champion and ranked number one, the occasion slightly overwhelmed us on the grandest platform of them all. I just remained composed and persevered. Early doors, he was hammering in 180s for amusement. I realized that I would have to get out of bed. I believe that tonight’s double benefitted me, as I’m currently in another quarterfinal.

It’s a wonderful sensation, but we’ve fought a lot, and he’s beaten me up a lot. Just getting another one back on him is good. He is stronger and more resilient than that, thus he will recover from it. If I didn’t think I could win, I wouldn’t have come here to compete in the first place. I could still be in.

Other places at Ally Pally On Saturday night, teenage wonder Luke Littler faced Raymond van Barneveld, while Van Gerwen easily defeated Stephen Bunting. Van Gerwen’s focus has been somewhat taken away by Littler’s success story, but he is still happy with his performance.

We all knew that Stephen Bunting was an incredible darts player,” he remarked. “You need to play at your highest level. Though I don’t think I played to my greatest ability, there were times when I made the right decisions. With my performance, I am happy.

“I feel fantastic, but we still have a long way to go. Of course, I miss my wife and kids, but that’s just part of the experience. I now have to focus on January 1st, and nothing can stand in my way.”