Sandro Eric Sosing has been forced to withdraw from the World Darts Championship on medical grounds ahead of his scheduled first-round match against Ian White.

The 41-year-old, who hails from the Philippines, was due to face White in the afternoon session at Alexandra Palace on Friday. However, it has been confirmed by the PDC that he will not play after being taken to hospital for medical treatment.

A statement from the body read: "Sandro Eric Sosing has withdrawn from his match with Ian White on medical grounds.

"Sosing reported chest pains whilst practicing and following an on-site assessment by medical staff he has been taken for further treatment."

John McDonald, the MC at Alexandra Palace, delivered the news to the crowd just minutes before the match was supposed to start.

He said: "Sosing has been taken to hospital and we will keep you posted on that. Unfortunately, this match will not take place. Therefore, our next match and final match this afternoon will be [Stephen] Bunting versus [Kai] Gotthardt."

Sosing qualified for the World Darts Championship after finishing as the runner-up at the Asian Championship. He made his Alexandra Palace debut last year, losing to Lee Evans in the opening round.

As a result of his withdrawal, White has been given a bye to the second round and will face Richie Edhouse on Sunday. The winner of that match could go up against Luke Littler in round three.

The Nuke will face Ryan Meikle, who knocked out Fallon Sherrock in the previous round, on Saturday night. He has made no secret of his desire to win the grand prize after finishing as the runner-up on his debut last year.

"I am here to win, to prove reaching the World Championship final was not a fluke," Littler recently told The Mirror.

"I won in Bahrain, I won on the European Tour, I won the Premier League. That was me saying I am here, it wasn't a one-off. I have had so much going on this year.

"[Manchester] United have invited me to a few games, I've been to the training ground at Carrington as well. Meeting Fergie was mental. I am glad they know who I am.

"No-one knew anything about me and it was a free hit, whether I lost in the first round or got to the final. It was a free hit and a bit of prize money. This year isn’t a free hit. There's expectation, a lot of expectation."