Michael Smith will take on Chris Dobey tonight for a spot in the quarter-finals of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship, as he looks to continue his defence of the Sid Waddell Trophy.
The World Champion was thoroughly tested in his opening round clash against Kevin Doets, before comfortably dispatching of Madars Razma on Wednesday night.
Smith is yet to hit top form in this year's showpiece, although he's confident there is plenty more to come ahead of his clash against Dobey.
The world number one had to wait 12 days between his two matches thus far, but insists he’s worked hard to stay sharp as he looks for back-to-back World Championship crowns.
“I literally went home 11 days ago, practiced with Nathan [Aspinall] until the 22nd – sadly he got beat, I was absolutely gutted for him," said Smith, speaking after his win over Razma.
"I had 23rd [December] off, the 24th off and practiced Christmas and Boxing Day. I felt really good, and I never felt like I had a break.
“[I’ve put in] 40 hours practice since my last match. I was doing three and a half, four hours with Nathan and then I’d get home, see to the kids and back out at eight o’clock to do another two hours.
“I even text Nathan and he said, ‘you practice too much’ but it’s just what I like to do."
The 33-year-old has shared a love-affair with tops and double ten throughout his career, but insisted that versatility on the outer-ring is a tool he’s looking to add to his game.
Smith reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix in October - predominantly utilising double eight - and the St Helens superstar was frustrated with his performance on that section of the board in his win over Razma.
“The only disappointing thing was that every time I left 32 or 8s, I’ve not been missing them for ages, and I couldn’t find them," admitted the former Grand Slam champion.
“I reverted back to tops and 10s and luckily the 10s were on the board today because I don’t think I missed them once.
“I’ve always been stubborn with the doubles I like, so throwing at 8s and 16s was trying to separate my practice, going from them to this.
“Instead of being stubborn I was trying to let my game do everything else, like trying to find a different part to my game and it’s been working, apart from the other night!"
The world number one will be looking to find his top gear against Dobey tonight, who boasts a tournament average of over 102 heading into the contest.
The man nicknamed ‘Hollywood’ came through a thriller against former European Champion Ross Smith on Thursday, after landing an astonishing 14 maximums en route to a 4-2 victory.
The Masters Champion is hunting back-to-back quarter-finals on the Ally Pally stage for the first time in his career, and he heaped praise on Smith ahead of their blockbuster tie.
“He’s so so good, he’s so talented. I think he’s got more talent in his little finger than half the people have out there," insisted Dobey, who is eyeing a place in his fourth TV ranking quarter-final of 2023.
“It annoys me how good he actually is.
“I’m going to be the underdog, there’s no pressure on me, but I’m there for one thing and I want that title.”
2023/24 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Friday December 29
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Boris Krcmar v Gary Anderson (R3)
Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting (R4)
Michael Smith v Chris Dobey (R4)