"If she starts like that, you can get the jitters": Michael Smith sent warning about Lisa Ashton after near Jan Dekker shock

With the start of the World Darts Championship, Vincent van der Voort and Damian Vlottes resume their daily episodes of the Darts Draait Door podcast. In a detailed preview, they discuss not only the chances of the Dutch players, but also the pressure on defending champion Luke Littler and also Michael Smith against Lisa Ashton.

Much to their satisfaction, a Dutch player features on the schedule every day. Vlottes: “I really think it’s great that we’re being spoiled. A Dutchman every day in the first round.” Van der Voort nods: “They’ve planned that well.”

It automatically draws attention to lesser-known Dutch entrants like Jamai van den Herik, who will be unfamiliar to many fans. He takes to the stage right away on opening night, and Van der Voort is impressed with his progress: “That lad has made an incredibly strong leap this year. He’s been playing really well in recent months.”

He won tournaments on the Challenge Tour, performed strongly on the ADC tour, and even posted outliers with averages over 115. But a World Championship debut is a different story: “This is the Worlds straight away. You’re up on opening night. You don’t get a chance to soak up the venue the day before. That’s incredibly tough.”

The draw pairs the young Dutchman with experienced Latvian Madars Razma. Van der Voort tempers expectations: “His form is good, so he has a chance. But Razma remains the favorite. He plays in a tricky rhythm: sometimes slow, sometimes quick. That’s hard for a debutant.” Media pressure also plays a role. Still, he thinks it could be manageable because it’s relatively early in the tournament and most of the spotlight is on Luke Littler.

Opening night also sees Michael Smith in action, against the experienced Lisa Ashton, who beat him earlier this year on the Pro Tour. Van der Voort acknowledges that this sticks with a player: “That always gives you the feeling: I know I can beat him.”

Yet he has no doubt about Smith’s favorite status: “He just needs to show some form. These are nervy ties for him, but this is one he simply has to win.” They also look back at Ashton’s memorable match against Jan Dekker, when she completely overwhelmed him in the first set. “If she starts like that, you can get the jitters,” says Van der Voort.

The talking point of the night is, of course, the return of Luke Littler, who, as reigning world champion, traditionally plays on opening night. His opponent is Darius Labanauskas, a former quarter-finalist. Van der Voort issues a warning: “He’s not someone you just roll over. It’ll be a nervy evening for Littler too.”

Vlottes recalls how vulnerable Littler looked last year: “He was crying in his mother’s arms.” Van der Voort: “That was the first time we saw he was human.”

The coming year will be even tougher, he predicts: “He’s the defending champion now. Everyone’s talking about that million. The media attention is extreme. Try dealing with that at eighteen.” Still, he remains the top favorite: “As long as he’s in, he’s the absolute number one. The stats show he almost never loses matches over twenty legs.”

A key debate arises when Vlottes puts the statement on the table: “With a poor Worlds, it’s one minute to midnight for Kim Huybrechts.” Van der Voort doesn’t hesitate: “Agreed.”

The Belgian is currently 55th in the world rankings and opens against Arno Merk. Precisely because this is, on paper, a winnable opponent, Huybrechts must win. But the past is worrying: multiple early World Championship exits, no floor results, and he relied on late call-ups for the European Tour.

Van der Voort sees technical changes as a possible cause: “He’s lost the fluidity in his throw. He throws harder, flatter. That makes consistent scoring more difficult.”

He also senses an internal struggle: “He wants to be liked. But to get back into the top 32 you need to be a b*****. On the Pro Tour you don’t need friends. Someone takes your money when he beats you.” A World Championship run beyond Christmas would already be a success, they agree: “Then he’s had a good tournament and made valuable ranking gains.”

When the two make their picks, Van der Voort stays realistic: “Luke Littler goes through, Michael Smith goes through, Kim Huybrechts has to go through, and Madars Razma is favorite against Van den Herik.” He does allow for an upset. “In the first round you don’t get a lot of big shocks. The top 40 don’t lose just like that.”