Kleermaker found it hard to keep concentration in easy World Darts Championship match: ''If you play it ten times, you win it ten times''

Martijn Kleermaker had an easy warm-up in the first round of the World Darts Championship on Wednesday afternoon. With playful ease, Xicheng Han was defeated 3-0 in sets. Although Kleermaker had nothing to fear from his Chinese opponent, he still found it a tough match to play.

''You notice that you are in complete control of the match,'' he began his story at Viaplay. ''If you play it ten times, you win it ten times. You just notice that you are the better one and that you can go the extra mile when you need to. Then it's hard to keep your concentration, because it doesn't give much. Those are difficult matches, because you just have to win them.''

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Reporter Arjan van der Giessen also noted that Kleermaker often sought contact with his supporters in the VIP box. ''I especially watched Nick, who is with us. That's just a bond you have. He just knows what manner or gesture to use to tell me to keep my concentration and focus. That is what you are looking for at a certain moment because I noticed that my concentration was slipping away. Suppose he (opponent Han, ed.) starts doing strange things, then you can still make it very difficult for yourself.''