'I'll be back bigger and stronger' - Nathan Aspinall reacts to shock World Matchplay defeat

Nathan Aspinall has been one of form players in the world of darts over the last few months. Any hopes The Asp has adding another World Matchplay title to his trophy cabinet came to a shock end on Saturday though, as he was beaten by debutant Wessel Nijman 10-6.

The Dutchman, who has long been highly touted, came of age to average over 101 in victory, holding off a spirited mid-match surge from Aspinall — who landed two spectacular 121 finishes on the bull — but couldn’t produce an epic comeback.

The defeat is extra hard on Aspinall, as because he was defending champion's prize money from two years ago, this first round exit leaves 'The Asp' at best 23rd in the PDC Order of Merit. With most of the tournament still to go, that ranking could even drop further too, depending on performances of others.

"Absolutely gutted to get beat last night," reacted Aspinall in a post-match reflection posted to his official Instagram account. "Yet again, the crowd support was fantastic. I have never heard anything like it last night."

In his post-match press conference, Nijman told reporters of his respect for Aspinall's classy response to defeat. This was a theme the Englishman carried onto Instagram too. "Well played to Wessel you played a fantastic game mate," Aspinall praised his opponent. "Your finishing was brilliant. Best of luck for the rest of the tournament."

As Aspinall now looks towards the future, first up is a break from the board. "Personally, I am now looking forward to a few weeks off spending some quality time with the family and getting ready for a big end to the year," he concludes his post. "Thank you for the support as always. I'll be back bigger and stronger after a nice few weeks break."