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Nathan Aspinall made a surprise U-turn on his verdict about the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters crowd, just a day after claiming some of the fans were 'not there on their own accord.' The Asp drew a lively response from an otherwise subdued audience at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters on Tuesday night.

He took on Man Lok Leung at the Global Theatre in a best-of-six legs contest for his place in the semi-finals and the pair encountered a much more restrained atmosphere compared to the World Championships at Alexandra Palace earlier this month. Spectators in Riyadh have remained remarkably quiet throughout the Saudi Masters, only coming to life during walk-ons, following 180s, and at the conclusion of each fixture.

However, Aspinall managed to extract a response from supporters as he attempted to secure a maximum in the deciding leg of his encounter. Leading 5-4 overall at that point and having struck two treble twenties, Aspinall motioned towards the audience in an effort to generate excitement.

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As the crowd began to murmur with anticipation, the 34-year-old broke into a grin before eventually missing his opportunity for a 180. That didn't stop him clinching the leg, though, as he sealed a 6-4 triumph over Leung to progress to the semi-finals, where he was ultimately bested by Michael van Gerwen.

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Speaking with ITV after the contest, Aspinall said: "You know what, he played really well. I expected him to, I watched his game last night against Danny [Noppert] and he started like a train. And he started like that tonight against me. First leg I was like, 'Oh my god...'

"I played really well, my finishing's been great this week. Obviously, it's got to continue if I'm going to win the tournament, but I feel good. I've had good rest days."

Speaking about the improved atmosphere and spectators within the Global Theatre, Aspinall added: "That crowd there were really good. They got involved at the end there and I think that every game that comes on stage, they're learning. That was fun and can't wait to get back up there."

On his self-belief, Aspinall said: "I've been confident for the last six months in my game. I thought I played well last week in Bahrain, this week I've played really well. I can't really grumble. Got to continue, got to perform like that if I've got any chance of beating Michael next game, but I'm confident I will."

This follows Aspinall's assessment of the Middle Eastern atmosphere after his opening day triumph against Lourence Ilagan earlier this week, where he said: "I don't know. There is definitely a long way to go. It's certainly different. I am not stupid, I feel like they were not all there of their own accord, shall we say. It was quite a small venue but you've got to start somewhere.

"Everything needs to start somewhere and as long as people walk away from this week and say, 'we really enjoyed the darts' and the Saudi Arabian press really enjoy the darts, there is no reason why not. I've enjoyed my time out here so far, there is worse places to be. I could be sat in Glossop in the snow, so hopefully we can be back again."

In response to Aspinall's remarks, the PDC issued a statement, as reported by the Telegraph, which read: "Nathan was reflecting on the fact that this was a first-of-its-kind darts event in the region, with many attendees experiencing live darts for the first time.

"As with any new market, the atmosphere and crowd make-up can differ from long-established darts events such as those in the UK and Europe. All spectators attended as ticket holders or guests, and we were delighted to see such strong interest in the PDC's debut in Saudi Arabia."