Adrian Lewis has admitted that he is "gutted" to have crashed out of the PDC World Championships following a 4-3 defeat at the hands of Raymond van Barneveld last night.
The two-time world champion recorded a nine-dart finish at Alexandra Palace, although it was not enough for him to overcome the Dutchman in a thrilling contest.
Van Barneveld repeatedly pulled his opponent back, with Lewis missing one shot to win the match which proved fateful in the end.
"I'm gutted," Lewis, who last won the title back in 2011, told PDC.tv. "I hit the nine-darter to win the first set and then came back on and had another nine-darter in the break, and then I started panicking a bit.
"I'd hit two back-to-back and thought I could turn him over 4-0 and it didn't happen. It's my own fault for missing shots - I missed the 88 to win the match and wired double seven, and I'm just disappointed with myself.
"I started panicking around doubles where normally I'm a lot more fluent on them. I'm just annoyed - I thought this was my year."
Lewis will receive a £10,000 bonus for hitting the nine-darter, while tournament sponsors William Hill will also donate £9,000 to charity.
