Dec 18,2024
Noa-Lynn van Leuven was left to rue what might have been as her moment of history at the World Championship ended in first-round defeat.
Van Leuven became the first trans player to play on the Alexandra Palace stage and she held her own in a 3-1 defeat to Kevin Doets.
The Dutchwoman, who transitioned in 2021, will leave with regrets over the third leg of the second set as she wasted an incredible chance to break Doets' throw and then have the darts for a 2-0 lead.
But she could not take out 68 points in 18 attempts, with her compatriot eventually winning the leg in 33 darts.
That proved pivotal as Doets won the set and then reeled off the next two to send Van Leuven home, where she will return to her job as a junior sous chef in the Netherlands on Friday.
Doets sets up a second-round rematch with Michael Smith, who beat him in a final-leg decider in the same stage of last year’s tournament.
James Hurrell’s Ally Pally debut ended better as he beat Jim Long 3-0 to set up a Friday night showdown with three-time champion Michael van Gerwen.
"It’s amazing, the whole thing I was thinking throughout the game was to play Michael van Gerwen on Friday," he said.
"It’s a massive challenge, it is so good, I cannot wait, I cannot wait.
"I will get a lot from the way I played. I felt really comfortable up there."
