Ross Smith is riding the crest of a darting wave right now.

The 37-year-old is arguably in the best form of his career and will arrive at the Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts at a career-high of world number six.

Having stormed to victory in September’s World Series of Darts Finals, Smith captured his second European Championship crown last month, becoming only the 14^th player to win an individual PDC televised event on multiple occasions.

He is also the first player in PDC history to win each of his first three Premier event finals, and insists self-belief has been instrumental in his impressive ascension.

“I believe I can beat anybody,” declared Smith, who will feature in his fifth Grand Slam of Darts campaign in 2026.

“I’m also realistic enough to know that if I don’t turn up and perform at my best I’m going to get done.

“You don’t win three televised titles for no reason, so I’m feeling really good, and I definitely feel like one of the elite players.”

Nevertheless, Smith’s road to darting stardom was not without its obstacles, after he briefly stepped away from the professional circuit in 2017.

The Dover-born star subsequently relinquished his Tour Card, only to instantly reclaim his place on the ProTour in 2018 - sparking the start of his rebuild.

The newly-crowned European Champion has now established himself as one of the sport’s premier players, winning 13 PDC titles since 2021, including his hat-trick of televised honours.

“I believe in myself, and years ago I probably didn’t,” conceded Smith, who made his first PDC appearance as a 16-year-old back in 2005.

“I suppose how do you believe in yourself when you’re not winning anything?

“Winning breeds confidence and I’m playing with confidence, so life’s good!”

Smith’s European Championship success placed him in exclusive company, as he joined Luke Littler and Luke Humphries as the only players to win multiple televised titles in 2026.

Despite averaging 107 in a high-quality quarter-final clash against Luke Woodhouse, Smith wasn’t at his blistering best in Dortmund, yet his triumph was further illustration of the resilience he possesses.

“It’s a strange one. I really don’t think I played great,” assessed Smith, who became the first top seed to win the European Championship since 2017.

“I had a really good game against Luke Woodhouse; I think a lot of players let me off as well, but sometimes you have to win ugly.

“I’m proud of doing that because you have got to dig deep. You have to really fight hard and I think I did that in Dortmund.”

Smith’s second European Championship crown catapulted him to sixth on the PDC Werner Rankings Ladder, as he climbed above the likes of James Wade, Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson.

He also finds himself just £2,000 adrift of world number five Jonny Clayton, with further progress firmly within his sights ahead of an action-packed end to the season.

“It feels absolutely brilliant [to be world number six]", continued the three-time TV title winner.

“I would love to go a bit higher, so I’m just going to keep knuckling down.

“There’s another three major [TV] tournaments coming up this year, so let’s push forward and try and break into that top four.

“As a player I want to go as high as I can, but I’ve lost in the first round at Ally Pally in the last two years, so I’m not really defending anything.”

Smith’s unwavering belief is coupled with a refreshing humility that has been pivotal in his rise, and despite his recent success, he’s refusing to let complacency become a factor.

In four previous Grand Slam appearances, he’s yet to progress beyond the last 16 at WV Active Aldersley, although he returns to the West Midlands a completely different proposition.

He will begin his campaign against Austria’s Rusty-Jake Rodriguez on Saturday, with former World Championship semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens also awaiting him in Group O.

“I’ll keep doing what I’m doing,” vowed the world number six.

“I’m loving the darts and I’m enjoying playing in front of these amazing crowds.

“I take each game as it comes and play one game at a time. Every game I play is a final and I give it my all, and it’s working for me at the moment.”

The 2026 Mr Vegas Grand Slam of Darts will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).