World number two Michael Smith was the biggest casualty of the Hungarian Darts Trophy after being knocked out by Johnny Clayton on day one.
Smith, who lost to Luke Littler in the World Series of Darts final in Amsterdam on Sunday, was beaten 6-3 by his Welsh opponent.
Clayton took the lead in Game 3 in Budapest, scoring four 180s for an average of 94.17 points as Smith was eliminated in the first round despite a brief rebound.
Clayton’s next opponent is No. 1 seed and defending champion Dave Chisnell.
Peter Wright beat Joe Cullen in the final and joined Raymond van Barneveld, who beat Ritchie Edhouse 6-3 in the second round, in the mix. The Dutchman will face Ross Smith on Saturday.
Nathan Aspinall, James Wade and Andrew Gilding are also key figures who won in Round 1, while Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price will begin their campaigns on Saturday.
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In Love The Darts, Devon Petersen recalls the first time he saw Phil Taylor in South Africa.
What’s next for Sky Sports?
The next darts event on Sky Sports is the 2024 BoyleSports World Grand Prix.
The annual £600,000 tournament takes place at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena from October 7-13, with 32 of the world’s biggest stars competing for the coveted title, previously won by Luke Humphries.
Humphries won his first TV ranking title last year by beating Gerwyn Price and the world number one will return to defend his title later this year.
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Luke Littler took the lead with consecutive scores of 140 and 130 to claim his first World Series of Darts Finals title in Amsterdam.
Six-time winner Michael van Gerwen is also set to feature, while teenage superstar Luke Littler will make his East Midlands debut with two starts.
In a change from last year’s format, the semifinals on Saturday, October 12 will be best-of-nine sets, and the final set on Sunday, October 13 will be best-of-eleven sets.
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