In a performance that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood achieved an unprecedented feat of 11 consecutive doubles, blasting 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, competing in his first ever season on the top-tier professional circuit, continued his remarkable tournament run. His perfect doubling streak finally concluded 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.
āThis isn't a storybook ā I am fully aware of what I can do and itās nice to demonstrate it up there,ā Hood stated in his post-match interview. āThe sole moment I felt any pressure was throwing the leg before the last. Iām unaccustomed to this. Ordinarily, I get negative comments. This is absolutely insane.ā
Hood immediately signaled his intentions by winning the opening set with an lightning-fast break of throw. This left the favored Rock, the tournament's number 11, little to do but watch in amazement as Hood stormed to victory, registering a impressive 101 average and hammering 10 maximum 180s.
This historic win ensures the newcomer a career-best payday of at least £100,000 and brings 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.
āThereās a lot on my mind and moving to world No. 4 was among them,ā admitted Clayton. āEvery time I looked up, Andreas was finding his doubles. It was a real battle; I didnāt play my top darts and had many loose attempts, but thatās what pressure does to you.ā
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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