Number nine seed Damon Heta threw a nine-darter when the PDC World Championship resumed after Christmas – but was still eliminated.
The Australian hit double 12 to complete the perfect leg in the second set of his third round match against Luke Woodhouse and secure a cool £60,000.
But Woodhouse fought back and reached the round of 16 with a 3-1 win.
HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE!
INCREDIBLE SCENES!
Damon Heta lands the second nine-darter of the tournament and raises the roof at Alexandra Palace! #WCDarts pic.twitter.com/DW6rhvFqez
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2024
“I’m at a loss for words – the crowd were fantastic,” Woodhouse told Sky Sports. “I don’t think it was the greatest game in the world, but I managed to get through it. I’m overjoyed.
“I just tried to put as much pressure on him as possible. I just wanted to keep an eye on him as best I could and see what happened from there.”
Heta was just millimeters away from hitting a nine-darter in the preliminary round when he missed double 12, but this time he made no mistake in the first match after the Christmas break.
He followed up consecutive 180s with a triple 20 and a triple 19 before sending his ninth dart to the right side of the wire.
“You couldn’t celebrate”
Heta’s performance was the second time a nine-darter had been thrown in the 2025 tournament and the 16th all-time at the World Championship, following Christian Kist’s success before Christmas.
Woodhouse accepted his opponent’s performance in good spirits, hugging the Australian and raising his arm in the air.
Woodhouse added: “Me and Damo are good friends. We go golfing together a lot and hang out and practice a lot.
“I know he was disappointed when he missed double 12 in the previous round so it was brilliant. The crowd went wild and you couldn’t help but celebrate.”
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