Ross Smith survived a late surge from Damon Heta to win 10-7 and book his place in the quarter-finals of the European Championship, despite admitting that a first-session draft almost derailed his blistering start. Smith raced into a 5-0 lead, averaging 112 at the break, but then saw the match turn on its head as Heta fought back.
Speaking to the media including DartsNews.com, Smith said: "Yeah, if you're five-nil up, yeah, definitely. You know, full credit to Damo there. He didn't give up or roll over, did he? Five-nil at the break, and I looked up and I was averaging 112. I was like, okay, just go again. Then I missed some doubles in that leg to go six-nil up. I don't know, it just went to pieces a little bit, didn't it? But the main thing is, you win, and sometimes you need to. They're the games that bring you experience and stuff like that, so it's not a negative, it's a positive. You battle through them."
Smith reflected on the experience of nearly letting a big lead slip, saying: "Well, again, going into what I just said in a way, it's like it's only experience, because I've played in games where I've been five-nil up or four-nil up and I've lost them. You know, I've only needed one leg. So, you know, it's all about experience and learning, and you take that into games like that. So, yeah, that's what it's all about, and, yeah, I'm just glad to get the win, and that experience has helped me."
The 2026 European Championship has seen some big averages from other players, but Smith hasn't managed to join that club. Nevertheless, he was pleased with his performance against Heta, which saw him average close to 96. "Yeah, yeah, definitely. You know, I've had a great year — sorry, I've had a great year up to now. But, yeah, to be fair, it's irrelevant what you've sort of done, isn't it? It's about now and going forward," he said. "But, no, it's weird. I felt really nervous coming into this. I felt a bit nervous last week in Maastricht as well. I don't know why. Sometimes these things, again, like I said the other day, you know, we're human at the end of the day. We have good days, bad days, whatever job you do. But today's the best I've felt in a long time — well, I'll say a long time, two weeks. It's the best I've felt. I felt like my old self again today and, you know, try and put a smile on my miserable face and enjoy it."
Smith also opened up about his mid-match break, revealing: "I went for a wee. All right, I went for a wee. Just to let everyone know, I did wash my hands. I'm not a dirtbag, I do wash my hands. But, no, yeah, I've come out again and I thought, I felt really good in that. Then I missed a few — a load of doubles, to be fair, to go six-nil — and Damo pinged it. That's when the little doubts can creep into your head slightly and Damo gets a bit of momentum. But, yeah, you know, it is what it is, and again, I'm happy with the win."
On the draft that affected the first session, Smith added: "No, I wouldn't say you have to get back into it. I don't know, it can work for you and against you, having a break, so it just depends on the situation, your mindset, what the score is. Yeah, it's difficult. I knew it affected Damo. I'll give him a little pat, because there was a massive draft in the first session. Obviously, I was five-nil up, and I knew there was a draft. I said to Kirk about it, and, to be fair, the PDC literally squashed it ASAP, so full credit to them. But, yeah, maybe I should have just wished the draft continued, because I was five-nil up, averaging 112, and I was moaning about that wind. That little bit, yeah, it was helping me out, so..."
