Michael Smith unexpectedly reached the quarter-finals of the Poland Darts Open in Krakow last weekend, seizing a last-minute opportunity after Michael van Gerwen's withdrawal. Smith recorded wins over Joe Cullen and Jonny Clayton before losing to Chris Dobey in the last eight. Reflecting on his run, Smith told Tungsten Tales: "I shouldn't even be here — that's what I keep asking myself. I should never have lost it in the first place," smiling with relief and disbelief.
Smith's presence was far from guaranteed after a disappointing qualifying campaign. "I was rubbish in the qualifiers. I tried too hard just to get here and I needed to put things right," he said. He was only informed late, getting the call on Thursday night after earlier uncertainty. His journey was chaotic: a driver's car broke down, blocking everything for two and a half hours, causing him to miss his flight. He returned home at six in the morning, slept all day, and travelled again, describing it as "a pain" but emphasizing that coming to the tournament was the most important thing.
At the start of the season, Smith was not keen on playing the Euro Tours, initially planning to play only the first six and stop if he didn't qualify. He cited physical issues, saying, "Travelling has been hard — when I get off the plane, my feet are killing." His focus is on rankings: "The big plan is getting back into that top 10 and becoming a headache for someone else again." After qualifying for events three and four, his mindset shifted: "Now I've won one, I've got to play more. I wanted to chill out and get things right, but I've been paying for the last six months. Now I've just got to keep going and keep fighting." Smith is currently ranked 31st in the world.
Family plays a central role for Smith, with his father travelling with him regularly. Poland holds added significance as the only tournament his wider family attends. "My family only ever come to this tournament. They don't travel to the World Series or Australia or anywhere else. It's always Poland — come home, see nan, see the family," he explained. This brings pressure: "So the pressure is on me to win. If I get beat, I just want to go home — but they want to stay! So I put pressure on myself because of that." Adding to the drama, his youngest son broke his arm two days before the event, falling off the same scooter Smith had fallen from last year.
Physically, Smith has improved, losing two stone over the past two and a half months. Since receiving injections in his feet in December, his mobility has dramatically improved: "From July last year, I couldn't walk properly for five months because of my ankles. I had injections in December and suddenly I could walk up and down stairs, move properly, practise again." He attributes this to no secret formula, stating bluntly: "There's no secret — it's just not being lazy. There's no pain anymore, so I can get up and go." On the Krakow crowd, he praised the venue but had one request: "The only thing is, when someone hits a treble 20, they should react more! I don't always watch my opponent's darts, so if they react big, I know something's gone in." Overall, he called it "beautiful coming here" with a "great crowd."
