PDC World Championship: Mikuru Suzuki loses 3-2, Luke Woodhouse beats Michael Smith
- Published
Suzuki averaged 84 at Alexandra Palace
Japan's Mikuru Suzuki came agonisingly close to becoming the first woman to win a PDC World Championship match as she lost 3-2 to James Richardson.
The women's world champion, 37, had an early 151 checkout but missed four darts for the first set as Richardson won six successive legs.
One leg from defeat, Suzuki won five in a row only to lose the deciding leg.
Last year's beaten finalist Michael Smith suffered a surprise second-round loss to world number 69 Luke Woodhouse.
Fourth seed Smith might have lost 3-0 but Woodhouse missed six match darts.
Smith missed two darts to take the match to a deciding set as Worcestershire's Woodhouse, 31, secured a place in round three by calmly checking out from 80 with two 20s and double top for a 3-1 win.
The match of the day, however, featured Suzuki who, after making only two of her first 15 doubles, forced a final leg with a superb 101 finish at Alexandra Palace.
But with no tie-break in round one matches, Suzuki could not land a 152 checkout and Richardson steadied himself to settle the contest with double top.
Speaking through an interpreter Suzuki, who entered the arena to the strains of the popular children's song "Baby Shark", said: "The crowd cheering me made me very happy, I will be back next year."
The other female player in the event, England's Fallon Sherrock, plays Ted Evetts on Tuesday.
History was made at the event on Sunday when Hungarian Daniela Bata-Bogdanov became the first female stage official in the tournament as part of the scoring team.
Sunday's results:
Afternoon matches:
First round:
Kyle Anderson (Aus) 3-2 Xiaochen Zong (Chn)
Ross Smith (Eng) 0-3 Ciaran Teehan (Ire)
Brendan Dolan (NI) 3-0 Nitin Kumar (Ind)
Second round:
Ian White (Eng) 1-3 Darius Labanauskas (Lit)
Evening matches:
First round:
Arron Monk (Eng) 0-3 Jose Justicia (Spa)
Andy Boulton (Eng) 2-3 Danny Baggish (USA)
James Richardson (Eng) 3-2 Mikuru Suzuki (Jpn)
Second round:
Michael Smith (Eng) 1-3 Luke Woodhouse (Eng)