European champion Gian van Veen made it into the second round of the PDC World Championship, but 12th seed Ross Smith was surprisingly knocked out in his first match.
Van Veen, who has had a big year in 2025, finally got past the opening round at Alexandra Palace with a 3-1 win over Spain’s Cristo Reyes.
He wasn’t at his best in the first set but still won it, then played brilliantly in the second set with a 107 average to go 2-0 up.
Reyes fought back, winning the third set after a brilliant 167 checkout and even breaking Van Veen in the fourth. But Van Veen dug deep and came back to secure his first-ever win at the tournament.
“Finally across that line,” the 23-year-old told Sky Sports, admitting he was nervous at the start but gained confidence once he settled in.
While Van Veen moves on, Ross Smith is out after losing 3-2 to 50-year-old Swedish debutant Andreas Harrysson.
Smith missed six chances to win the match in the fourth set, and Harrysson took advantage, winning the final set 3–1.
In the same evening session, England’s Ricky Evans beat Man Lok Leung from Hong Kong 3-0.
