England's Michael Smith has won his first PDC World Championship title by beating Dutch three-time champion Michael van Gerwen 7-4 in the final at Alexandra Palace in London.
The outcome was almost a complete reversal of the 2019 final when van Gerwen breezed past Smith to win his last World Championship crown with a 7-3 victory.
The 32-year-old Smith, who is the new world number one, earned almost a million dollars in prize money.
He is the fifth Englishman to win the title since the first Championship was held in 1994.
Photo: 123rf
The fourth seed hit a nine-dart finish in the second set, during a sensational leg in which Van Gerwen missed his own attempt at double 12 for a perfect leg.
The 32-year-old is the new world number one as a result of his victory.
Van Gerwen, 33, went into the final as favourite but was unable to reclaim the title he last won in 2019.
He has now finished runner-up at the World Championship on three occasions, alongside tournament successes in 2014, 2017 and 2019.
Before the final, Van Gerwen had dropped only three sets in his five previous matches.
-Reuters/BBC
