Michael Smith has booked his place in the World Darts Championship final for the second year running, after defeating Gabriel Clemens in the semi-final. Smith played out arguably one of the most impressive performances of the tournament, which included a remarkable 101 average.
Clemens more than played his part but 'Bully Boy' proved all too strong for the German as his fairy-tale run at the Alexandra Palace came to an end. It was a quick start for Smith, and despite being taken to a deciding leg by Clemens, the Englishman kept his cool to take a 1-0 lead.
The German star put in the performance of his career in the round prior, after thumping world No. 1 Gerwyn Price 5-1 in the quarter-final on Sunday.
In spite of his early setback, Clemens was clearly in the mood to back-up his last eight upset as he fought back in set two to level things up at 1-1. The pair continued to match each other, shot-for-shot as they played out the full quota of legs for the third straight set in the third.
The class of Smith shone through though, as he just about edged the world No. 25 out to regain his lead. Smith looked to back this up straight after, as he pinned in a stunning 161 finish in the fourth set which even earned the admiration of this opponent.
Clemens was undeterred though, as he battled his way around Smith's heroics to get himself back on level terms after another five-leg set. The Englishman however was in no mood to let the encounter be a close one for long.
As a result, he blew his rival away in set five by whitewashing Clemens and taking a 3-2 lead in the game. The match had now turned into the longest of the German's career, and this lack of experience began to show.
Smith backed up his win in the fifth, by winning back-to-back sets in the sixth and seventh to move him 5-2 ahead, and one away from his final spot. And this was dually sealed as he checked out tops to in the deciding set and leg to secure an impressive 6-2 victory.
