Professional darts star Ricky Evans has disclosed that he completely lost his voice after participating in an extraordinary six-hour karaoke marathon during a stag weekend in the sunny resort of Benidorm. The 35-year-old athlete, currently ranked 46th in the world, made this surprising revelation following his victory in the last 64 match against Scott Williams at the Belgian Open tournament.
Vocal Strain from Karaoke Overload
Evans explained that while many of his friends were engrossed in watching the Cheltenham Festival races, he opted instead for an extended karaoke session that spanned six continuous hours. "I went to a stag do last week, and I sang too much karaoke, so this was not alcohol-induced or anything like that," Evans stated, his voice still noticeably affected by the vocal strain. "A load of my friends like the races and Cheltenham, but instead of watching the races, I decided to do karaoke for six hours!"
Balancing Celebration with Professional Commitments
The darts professional emphasized that despite the celebratory nature of the stag event, he maintained some professional discipline by avoiding alcohol due to upcoming travel commitments. "Wednesday in Benidorm last week, it's unprofessional to say, but we had a lemonade; I did anyway because of my flights," Evans clarified. He described how the karaoke sessions occurred over multiple days, saying "Monday and Tuesday we hit it hard, and I did a lot of karaoke, so that's why I sound like Beppe from Eastenders."
Tournament Performance Impact
Despite the vocal challenges, Evans managed to secure a win in his last 64 match against Germany's Florian Preis at the European Trophy tournament. However, his journey in that competition ended with a decisive 6-1 defeat to Danny Noppert. The vocal strain appeared to continue affecting his performance as he entered the Belgian Open, where he was unable to progress beyond the last 32 stage.
Narrow Defeat in Belgian Open
In a closely contested match at the Belgian Open, Evans faced off against world No. 12 Ryan Searle in what developed into an 11-leg thriller. Statistical analysis revealed that the Kettering-based darts player actually averaged six points higher than his opponent and successfully hit five 180s during the match. Despite these impressive metrics, Evans ultimately fell short, losing the match by a narrow 6-5 margin to Searle, who advanced to the last 16 of the tournament.
Tournament Continues with Top Contenders
Action at the Belgian Open is scheduled to resume on Sunday at 12pm UK time, with rising star Luke Littler positioned as the overwhelming favorite to claim another championship title. Bookmakers have established Littler as the 10/11 favorite to win what would be his third European Tour victory of the season. Current world champion Luke Humphries follows as second favorite at 7/2 odds as he prepares to face Jermaine Wattimena in his last 16 match.
The incident highlights the delicate balance professional athletes must maintain between personal celebrations and their competitive commitments, with Evans' vocal loss serving as a memorable example of how off-field activities can unexpectedly impact tournament performance.
