The crowd in Zwolle vociferously chanted the name of Danny Noppert to theme tune of a children's TV show, Pippi Longstocking as they got behind their final home hero and it proved to spur 'The Freeze' onto a superb victory.
He sealed it 7-2 with a 103 average, five 180's and 7/11 on the doubles to progress to the final which was sealed with a 121 checkout on double 18.
Smith will still rue the missed opportunity to seal his maiden major title that was the UK Open and will look to get a measure of revenge by defeating Noppert on home soil.
In moving through, 'Bully Boy' denied Andrew Gilding a maiden European Tour final who was handed chances by a visibly frustrated Smith who knew he wasn't at his best but these weren't taken when they mattered most by 'Goldfinger'.
This allowed the St Helens ace to seal a 7-4 victory with a 142 checkout and a 98.4 average and he will aim to seal his first European Tour title since Gibraltar in 2017
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NOPPERT SEALS IT IN STYLE! 🇳🇱
Danny Noppert is one win away from glory on home soil!
The UK Open champion produces a brilliant 121 finish to defeat Callan Rydz and reach the Dutch Darts Championship final!
Up next 👉 Andrew Gilding v Michael Smith
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