Number nine seed Damon Heta hit a nine-darter as the PDC World Championship resumed after Christmas – but was still knocked out.
The Australian hit double 12 to complete the perfect leg in the second set of his third round match with Luke Woodhouse to earn a cool £60,000 payday.
But Woodhouse fought back to reach the last 16 with a 3-1 win.
HEROIC HETA HITS THE NINE! 🔥
UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! 🤯
Damon Heta lands the second nine-darter of the tournament to raise the roof at Alexandra Palace! #WCDarts pic.twitter.com/DW6rhvFqez
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 27, 2024
“I’ve got no words at all – the crowd has been fantastic,” Woodhouse told Sky Sports. “I don’t think it was the greatest game in the world but I’ve managed to come through it. I am over the moon.
“I was just trying to put him under as much pressure as possible. I just wanted to keep on top of him as much as possible and then see what happened from there.”
Heta was millimetres away from throwing a nine-darter in the previous round when he missed the double 12, but he made no mistake this time in the first match after the Christmas break.
He followed up successive 180s with a treble 20 and treble 19 before sending his ninth dart the right side of the wire.
‘You couldn’t not celebrate’
Heta’s feat was the second time a nine-darter has been thrown in the 2025 tournament and the 16th of all time at the World Championship, following Christian Kist’s effort before Christmas.
Woodhouse took his opponent’s achievement in good spirits, hugging the Australian and raising his arm in the air.
Woodhouse added: “Me and Damo are good friends. We go and play golf together a lot and hang out and practice a lot.
“I know he was gutted when he missed the double 12 in the previous round so it was brilliant. The crowd went wild and you couldn’t not celebrate.”
