World Darts Championships: Hong Kong’s Leung causes major upset on debut, downs van Veen with stunning comeback
- Hugo Leung bounces back from two sets down to beat Gian Van Veen at Alexandra Palace
- Leung is playing in the storied tournament for the first time and now faces last year’s beaten semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens
Hugo Leung Man-lok has caused a huge upset at the World Darts Championship, coming from two sets down on his debut to beat the highly fancied Gian Van Veen at a rocking Alexandra Palace.
The Hongkonger produced a sensational display with one of the best performances by an international qualifier at the storied tournament in London, averaging 96.26 and crashing in an incredible 11 180s to deny a shell-shocked van Veen.
The Dutchman edged a high-quality opening set, before doubling his lead in a remarkable second set, which saw the Asian Tour qualifier squander 12 darts across three legs to level the tie.
However, Leung maintained his relentless barrage of treble hitting to force his way back into the contest, winning six of the next eight legs to send the match into a fifth and decisive set.
The 24-year-old continued to outscore the European Championship semi-finalist in the closing stages, reeling off legs of 17, 13 and 16 darts to set up a clash against last year’s semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens.
“I am so happy, because I never thought I could win this match,” said Leung, who won three PDC Asian Tour titles this year. “I have never played in the World Championship before, so I wanted to enjoy it on the stage and show everyone what I can do.”
Up next is Clemens, who will be expected to make short work of his opponent. The two have faced each other before and Leung knows what waits for him on Friday.
