Raymond van Barneveld, the five-time world darts champion, was left stunned after falling to a straight sets defeat by Switzerland’s Stefan Bellmont in their first-round match at Alexandra Palace.
Bellmont produced the performance of his career to become the first Swiss player win a match at the World Darts Championship.
Van Barneveld was coy when pressed on whether he would consider retirement in the wake of the defeat.
Pressed on what is next, he said: “Of course this hurts. The second year in a row. You have to ask yourself: what’s next?
“You don’t want to suffer like this every week. If you can only win two [legs] against someone who doesn’t have a tour card, that speaks volumes. Homework to do.”
Glen Durrant, the former Premier League champion, told Sky Sports: “I don’t want to kick a player when he’s down, but he didn’t look happy up there. Father time catches up on you – it’s difficult that longevity. That’s why I admire players who have been around such a long time.”
Bellmont, 36, hopes that his success will inspire a wave of darts enthusiasts in his home country.
“I have no words for this. I’m proud of myself. This is a great experience for all Swiss people. Hopefully we will get more Swiss people playing darts,” he said.
James Wade, the world No 7 who is a four-time semi-finalist at Alexandra Palace, brushed aside Ryusei Azemoto of Japan in straight sets. Wade dropped just one leg and now faces Ricky Evans in round two.
“That was more luck than judgment – thankfully he got more nervous than I did,” Wade said. “I made the most of my opportunities. Textbook. I haven’t won a game for three years, so I had put a lot of pressure on myself. I’m just happy to win and move forward.
“I’m really happy. Tonight showed the practice I’ve been doing. It wasn’t spectacular but when I needed to hit something and do something, it happened.”
The night’s action began with American Adam Sevada overcoming Canada’s Matt Campbell 3-1 and ended with German 13th seed Martin Schindler beating England’s Stephen Burton by the same score.