“To beat the World Champion in front of the Orange Army, this is really special" - Van Barneveld rolls back the years in Amsterdam to send home Michael Smith

Raymond van Barneveld pulled off a shock in the second round of the World Series of Darts Finals. The 56-year-old Dutchman rolled back the years and sent Michael Smith packing 6-4.

“To beat the World Champion in front of the Orange Army, this is really special,” reflected Van Barneveld, a five-time world champion in his own right. “I knew I would have to play my A-game."

"We all know what Michael is capable of. He’s a fantastic player, one of the best in the world," 'Barney' continues. “It was a quality game. There were fantastic finishes from both of us, and Michael was a real gentleman tonight. This means a lot to me.”

Van Barneveld returned to the Pro Tour in 2021 after a short retirement. "I'm still making progress," he said. "I keep setting myself new goals and have confidence that I can still improve. Especially at the Players Championships, there is still a lot of room for improvement. Unfortunately, those tournaments are often early in the day, I always play better in the evening. But I keep working really hard in practice to get results."