Leonard Gates Defeats Cameron Menzies at Darts Championship

Cameron Menzies faced a heartbreaking defeat in the first round of the World Darts Championship, losing 3-1 to American Leonard Gates despite being the higher-ranked player. Menzies visibly struggled, breaking down in tears as he completed only five of 32 checkout attempts, which led to a wave of crowd support for Gates, who was serenaded with 'USA' chants. After the match, Menzies shared an emotional post about his father, who was hospitalized, hinting at personal distress that may have impacted his performance. Gates offered encouragement to Menzies, advising him to channel the crowd's energy positively and continue to improve. Former champion Glen Durrant expressed concern about Menzies' inability to perform on stage as he does in practice, urging him to find a solution to his emotional struggles. Gates now looks ahead to a challenging second-round match against Nathan Aspinall.