PDC darts: Hong Kong’s Kevin Leung beats world No 20 Chris Dobey but fails to advance in Home Tour online clash
- The 26-year-old Hong Kong pro scores a tense 5-4 win but finishes bottom of his four-man group after two losses
- Leung is praised by Dobey for producing his best form at 5am, with his opponents all enjoying evening start times
Hong Kong’s Kevin Leung Kai-fan was barely awake at 5am as he defeated world number 20 Chris Dobey in the PDC Home Tour online series – but it was not enough to advance to the next round after he finished bottom of his group.
Leung beat the Englishman 5-4 in a tense final game in their four-man group after suffering a close 5-4 defeat by Dutchman Ron Meulenkamp, where he failed three times on double 18 for victory, and a 5-1 loss to Ireland’s Ciaran Teehan.
Leung, who earned praise from Dobey and commentator Dan Dawson for staying awake until 5am, said the matches felt like the real thing even though they were playing from their homes because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“All in all, even though it’s a house tournament, you can still feel the tension, which makes it quite exhausting,” said Leung, who had a rest between his loss to Teehan and his final match. “It’s quite fun to play others from the other side of the world, which shows that darts is without borders, and during this difficult time it’s like we still support each other through darts.
“Even though the Home Tour does not have ranking points and there is no one watching you, I think all of our players still want to provide some competitive darts for those viewers who do tune in.”