VIDEO | "I was expecting a lot of bad behaviour but I don't think I heard a single boo" - Kevin Doets praises Ally Pally response to Noa-Lynn van Leuven

Kevin Doets certainly didn't have it all his own way on Tuesday afternoon, but with a 3-1 victory over compatriot Noa-Lynn van Leuven, 'Hawkeye' has reached the second round at the PDC World Darts Championship for the second consecutive year, where Michael Smith awaits.

Ahead of the all-Dutch clash, Doets indicated his concerns over the reception Van Leuven would receive on her Ally Pally debut. The latter is a transgender and managed to qualify for the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship via the Women's Series, something some notable names in the sport do not agree with.

"I was expecting a lot of bad behaviour from the crowd today, but I don't think I heard a single boo," Doets assessed in his post-match press conference afterwards. "I like that, because I've done interviews before the tournament and I thought that she was going to get booed a lot. But they were great, they were really good."

Last year, Doets narrowly lost to Michael Smith in the second round of the World Darts Championship after a thrilling match. Coincidentally, 'Bullyboy' is now again the opponent for Doets in the last 64 this time around. Last year, Smith had the pressures of being defending world champion and this year, Doets realises that Smith again has a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

"I think he does (feel the pressure), but I also think he doesn't really care. Of course he cares, but I've seen interviews of him where he is like: if this happens. then it is what it is," Doets says. "So of course he wants to defend the £500,000 that he won two years ago, but I think I'm going to see Michael Smith on his a-game on Thursday. He just loves playing darts and he's one of the best in the world."