INTERVIEW - Joyce faces Dobromyslova at World Championship: 'As a neutral in the crowd I would be rooting for her'

Ryan Joyce will be in same shoes as Jan Dekker on Monday evening as he faces Anastasia Dobromyslova. She is the second female player at the 2019 PDC World Darts Championship, after Lisa Ashton made her debut last Thursday against Dekker.

The former Lakeside participant realises that this meeting attracts a lot of attention among the darts fans. Still Joyce does not want to think too much about the clash between a male and female darts player. In the end there are just two darts players on stage who try to hit the doubles, he told in an interview. ''I think the draw will generate a lot of interest and attention. It will be a good experience for me to get used to that. Most will be rooting for Anastasia and I certainly would be if I were a neutral in the crowd. At the end of the day it's just two people playing darts and whoever hits the doubles first will win. That's all I will be focusing on.'' ''There is extra pressure, whether you like to admit it or not. But we wouldn't be where we are if we couldn't play under pressure. I'm looking forward to the challenge with confidence. This competition is the pinnacle of our sport and no matter what round your playing in, the pressure will always be high.''

Great start of the season

The 33-year-old from Newcastle Upon Tyne took a big step towards his World Championship qualification at the very beginning of this season, when he reached a semi-final and a quarter final on the Pro Tour. Joyce played his first full season on the PDC circuit and finished as tenth Pro Tour qualifier for Alexandra Palace.

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