In a display that rewrote the history books, debutant Justin Hood pulled off an unheard-of feat of 11 consecutive doubles, blasting his way to a dominant 4-0 victory over Josh Rock in the third round of the prestigious World Darts Championship.
The 32-year-old, taking part in his first ever season on the top-tier professional circuit, extended his sensational tournament run. His flawless doubling streak finally concluded when he had a chance to seal the match at 2-0 up in the fourth set. Unfazed, he regrouped to clinCH the victory with a superb 119 checkout in the following leg.
“It’s not a fairytale – I am fully aware of what I can do and it’s nice to demonstrate it up there,” Hood stated in his post-match interview. “The only time I felt a bit of nerves was throwing the leg before the last. I’m unaccustomed to this. Usually, I get hate messages. This is absolutely insane.”
Hood immediately signaled his formidable challenge by winning the opening set with an lightning-fast break of throw. This left the higher-seeded Rock, the tournament's 11th seed, powerless but watch in awe as Hood stormed to victory, posting a formidable 101 average and firing in 10 maximum 180s.
This record-breaking win guarantees the newcomer a life-changing payday of at least £100,000 and edges him closer to his avowed ambition of launching a Chinese restaurant.
In other third round action, Jonny Clayton confirmed his rise to the number four spot in the global rankings after mounting a fightback from a set down to defeat Andreas Harrysson 4-2.
The Swedish contender was made to regret for failing to capitalize on key opportunities, after establishing a 2-1 advantage and subsequently wasting four darts to regain a one-set lead at 3-2.
“A number of things on my mind and becoming world No. 4 was one of them,” admitted Clayton. “Whenever I looked up, Andreas was finding his doubles. It was a real battle; I didn’t play my best darts and had a lot of loose throws, but that’s what the occasion does to you.”
Joining them in the next round is Krzysztof Ratajski, who pulled away in the closing phases to secure a 4-2 win over Luke Woodhouse, earning his spot in the prestigious last eight of the championship.
Elara is a seasoned betting analyst with over a decade of experience in sports gambling and data-driven strategy development.
Joyce Gomez
Joyce Gomez
Joyce Gomez
Joyce Gomez
Joyce Gomez