Cameron Menzies was reduced to tears during the final moments of his shock defeat to Leonard Gates at the World Darts Championship on Monday night.
The Scot was beaten 3-1 by the American, with the world number 130 downing the man ranked 39 on the PDC Order of Merit.
Menzies was a long way from his best and the situation was clearly too much for him late in the game as he wiped away tears during the final leg of the game.
The crowd was rowdy as ever at Alexandra Palace, with USA chants in support of Gates, anti-Scottish songs and missed doubles jeered.
However, it was not clear whether it was the noise from the fans or his own level of performance that saw Menzies clearly overwhelmed with emotion as the match finished.
While the game was still ongoing the 35-year-old was struggling to remain composed and looked distraught as he hugged Gates after the American landed the winning double.
Glen Durrant on Sky Sports punditry suggested it was more likely to be the severe disappointment at his own display, which saw him finish with an average of just 83.7.
‘On the floor he’s been the best player in the room, he’s the one that’s really stood out. It feels like it’s a different game sometimes when you go onto a stage,’ Durrant told Sky Sports.
‘That transition of doing really well on the floor to doing it on the stage is just not happening. He’s full of emotion, when you look at his preparation it’s something he’s going to have to work out, he needs to find a solution to why he doesn’t play as well on the stage like he does on the floor.
‘Extremely talented, but at the end it was just a little worrying. I didn’t know if he was getting upset, I didn’t know if the heat was getting to him, it was a pretty bizarre ending but he’s very, very disappointed.
‘He’s got good people around him but he’s got to work it out himself. There’s big opportunities for these players now so there’s no point feeling sorry for himself.’
Gates will return to the Alexandra Palace stage to take on Nathan Aspinall in the next round.
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