There was a major shock at Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night as world number four Michael Smith crashed out of the PDC World Darts Championship.
On the final night before the Christmas break, debutant Jason Lowe stunned 'Bully Boy' with a brilliant 3-1 victory.
Smith reached the 2018 final two years ago, where he was defeated by Michael van Gerwen, and this latest loss marks the second year in a row that he has fallen at the first hurdle with a second-round exit.
46-year-old Lowe, who's ranked number 80 in the world, only secured his Tour Card for the first time in January.
He'll now face Devon Petersen in the last 16.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, he said he felt coming in under the radar was beneficial to him,
"To be honest, I came here tonight and there was no pressure on me what so ever, obviously I was the underdog, Michael is a fantastic player, there was no pressure what so ever.
"I just thought 'I'll enjoy the darts', and I did and I played fantastic."
BULLY BOY IS BEATEN! 🤯
The world No 4 crashes out of the World Darts Championship...
What a performance from Jason Lowe 👏
📺 Sky Sports Darts
✍ Live blog: https://t.co/OzCsV4RwB3
#️⃣ #WHDarts #LoveTheDarts pic.twitter.com/I0TKQHfawN— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) December 23, 2020
Lowe's story this year is a remarkable one when you consider the fact he was the last person to sign up for Qualifying School back in January.
He feels that his balance of work, life, and playing darts is going well.
"I flipped a coin, it landed on heads and I went into Q-School.
"I've not done too bad, I've had a fantastic year, I just hope I can keep it up.
"I work with my brother, I'm in full-time work. Having a full-time job, I've got no pressure on me to earn any money at darts and it works well."
Lowe will be back on the stage on 29th January after the Christmas break where he'll face South African Devon Petersen.
He's not getting carried away after his shock win but is also confident of his chances going forward.
"I feel on my day I can beat anybody, I've got the A-game to beat anybody and to be honest Michael struggled tonight and I fed off that so I'm happy with tonight.
