Michael Smith 7-2 for 2024 PDC World Championship after stunning final win

Michael Smith, the man who couldn't win a major title, is 7-2 to win next year's PDC World Championship after stunning Michael van Gerwen in an epic final at Alexandra Palace on Tuesday night.

Smith hit a nine-darter, 22 maximums and a ton-plus average as he stormed to a sensational 7-4 win over red-hot favourite Van Gerwen in a high-class clash of the darting titans.

After a string of eight major final defeats, that's two big titles in less than two months for Smith, who had broken his duck at the Grand Slam in November.

And after landing pre-tournament 15-2 odds at the Palace, Bully Boy has also moved to the top of the world rankings going into the 2023 campaign.

Van Gerwen, who had been 5-2 favourite for a fourth world title on the run-up to the event and 3-10 at the start of the final, seemed to run out of steam during Tuesday evening's breathless contest, but is still the man the bookies rate highest, with an early 11-4 quote for next year's event.

Gerwyn Price, who arrived at the Palace this year as the number one seed but left vowing never to play there again after yet another run-in with the crowd, is anything from 6-1 to 9-1 to return to London and lift the trophy next January.

Deposed champ Peter Wright, the other member of the established Big Four, is out to 12-1 and has company in the shape of Josh Rock, also a top-priced 12-1.

Rock, the 21-year-old Northern Ireland ace, won fans and admirers on his debut appearance at the Palace where notable wins over class acts like Callan Rydz and Nathan Aspinall marked him down as a youngster with a massive future.

There's little faith in old masters such as Gary Anderson and James Wade – 66-1 shots for next year's finals – while Gabriel Clemens, German's first semi-finalist, is also available at 66-1.

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