Diogo Portela made sure it was a short lived record breaking 30th consecutive World Championship appearance for Steve Beaton with a stunning straight sets victory over 'The Bronzed Adonis' 3-0.
ADVERTISEMENT
Portela has played at four PDC World Darts Championships but never made it through the opening round until tonight and was visibly emotional at the end after setting up a clash with Glen Durrant.
Beaton began his 30th consecutive World Championship well hitting double 16 to claim the opening leg but it was a bleak beginning from there.
Portela claimed back-to-back legs to hit the front at 2-1 up with Beaton averaging only 74 in the opening stages. This led to him being a set up claiming it 3-1 and to put Beaton on the back foot early.
This was further the case with Beaton watching as Portela took the second set 3-1 to double his lead. 'The Bronzed Adonis' was averaging just 79 with 25% on his doubles as his record breaking tie looked to be coming to a quick end.
Portela attempted to halt any late resistance from Beaton averaging over 100 with a 15 darter for a 78 checkout to go 2-0 up in the third set.
Beaton missed double 14 for a 148 before Portela then missed the bull for the match. The former kept his hopes alive with double 14 but this proved a consolation as Portela took out 85 to win through visibly emotional in the process.
ADVERTISEMENT
2021 PDC World Darts Championship schedule
Tuesday December 15
Steve West (90.75) 3-0 (80.59) Amit Gilitwala (R1) (3-0, 3-1, 3-0)
Samuel Gill is the Chief Content Officer (CCO) of DartsNews.com, a role he has held since 2020. He is responsible for editorial governance across the platform, including setting content standards, overseeing accuracy and consistency, and guiding long-term editorial strategy across professional darts coverage. Since joining, he has contributed more than 10,000 articles and editorial pieces, playing a central role in the development and daily operation of the site.
Based in Leicester, Samuel has extensive experience in darts media and has been closely involved in coverage of the professional darts circuit for several years. Within the UK darts community, he is a recognised figure known for his consistent editorial output and ongoing reporting on major tournaments and developments across the PDC calendar.
In his current role, Samuel works closely with editors and writers to ensure content meets clear journalistic standards, with a focus on source verification, editorial consistency, and timely updates when new, confirmed information becomes available.
𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙀𝙇𝘼 𝘽𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙎 𝘽𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙊𝙉
Diogo Portela is in tears as he defeats Steve Beaton in straight sets on the Ally Pally stage and he's into the second round!
A short-lived 30th appearance for Beaton as he bows out on the opening night...