Hughes began the tie with a break of throw in the form of a 109 checkout. He had a business like demeanour as he smashed in a 180 going five darts into a nine-dart finish before taking out
Smith missed a shot at a 116 checkout to break straight back but Hughes missed a further three darts allowing the Aussie back for double 10 and 1-1.
He made it 2-1 from there with a hold of throw. Despite a 180, Smith took the set with a 12 darter on double 10 for a high quality start averaging 102.
A 100 checkout began the second set for Hughes who aimed to hit back immediately. But Smith romped to the second set with a 100 checkout with an average of 95.
Hughes looked to be down and out but surged to a 3-1 sets win to make it 2-1. Smith levelled up in a pivotal set 1-1 with a 111 checkout.
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An 80 checkout saw Smith break and he was suddenly throwing for the the match. A 48 checkout saw Smith claim it as he showed no further nerves in getting over the line.
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.
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