In a performance that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood achieved an unheard-of feat of 11 consecutive doubles, powering his way to a dominant 4-0 victory over Josh Rock in the third round of the elite World Darts Championship.
The 32-year-old, taking part in his first ever season on the premier professional circuit, continued his remarkable tournament run. His flawless doubling streak only ended when he was throwing to seal the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. Unfazed, he regrouped to secure the victory with a spectacular 119 checkout in the following leg.
“It’s not a fairytale – I know what I can do and it’s incredibly satisfying to prove it up there,” Hood stated in his post-match interview. “The only time I felt any pressure was on my throw the leg before the last. I’m unaccustomed to this. Usually, I get hate messages. This is absolutely insane.”
Hood immediately signaled his formidable challenge by winning the opening set with an 11-dart break. This left the favored Rock, the tournament's 11th seed, little to do but watch in awe as Hood charged to victory, posting a formidable 101 average and hammering 10 maximum 180s.
This historic win guarantees the newcomer a career-best payday of at least ÂŁ100,000 and brings him closer to his stated ambition of launching 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 failing to capitalize on key opportunities, having led a 2-1 advantage and then missing four darts to re-establish a one-set lead at 3-2.
“A number of things on my mind and becoming world No. 4 was one of them,” confessed Clayton. “Every time I looked up, Andreas was finding his doubles. It was a real battle; I didn’t play my best darts and had many loose throws, but that’s what pressure does to you.”
Joining them in the next round is Krzysztof Ratajski, who pulled away in the later stages to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, booking his place in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
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