Teenage sensation and tournament favourite, Luke Littler didn’t so much begin his world title defence as kick the front door off Alexandra Palace and leave the hinges smouldering behind him.
The reigning champion and newly annointed world number one made his first Ally Pally walkout wearing the crown rather than chasing it – and promptly reminded everyone why it fits so snugly.
A ruthless 3-0 demolition of Darius Labanauskas, powered by a blistering 101 average, set the tone for a tournament that might already be tilting in his direction.This was Littler in full control mode.
The opening set went the distance, but when the pressure hit boiling point, the teenager calmly dismantled it with a clutch 76 checkout to break throw and seize the initiative. The second set followed the same script – tight, tense, and ultimately bent to Littler’s will in another last-leg shootout.
Labanauskas was far from a passenger. Averaging north of 95, the Lithuanian scrapped for every inch and refused to lie down quietly. It just didn’t matter. Littler saved his fireworks for the kill, unleashing brutal 124 and 120 finishes to shut the door, lock it, and swallow the key.
“I’m very happy with the performance,” affirmed Littler, who will next meet the winner of Mario Vandenbogaerde versus David Davies in round two.
“When I woke up this morning, I was excited. It felt very special to be back. This was my first ever PDC tournament, so I have a lot of memories here. A win is a win and that’s the hardest game out of the way.”
Elsewhere on opening night, Michael Smith reminded the room that he too owns silverware with his name engraved on it. The former world champion brushed aside Lisa Ashton 3-0, advancing with a performance that grew stronger by the leg.
There were early tremors – the opening set wobbling nervously – but Smith steadied himself just in time, firing in a 15-darter to edge ahead. From there, it was cruise control. The next two sets disappeared in a blur as the Bully Boy found his rhythm and his authority.
“I’m happy to win,” said Smith, who was knocked out in his opening match of last year’s World Darts Championship by Kevin Doets.
“I stepped up when I needed to so I’ll take that as a positive. To come back for the second round is amazing. I told myself, ‘I’ve won this tournament before’. Coming into the next game, hopefully I can step up and start the way I finished the match.”
Earlier in the evening, debutant Arno Merk announced himself to the World Championship audience with a performance that screamed belonging. The German stunned Kim Huybrechts 3-1, tearing through the early stages with five legs on the spin to surge into a commanding 2-0 lead.
Huybrechts briefly resisted, but Merk never blinked. A nerveless closing display sealed the upset and capped a dream debut on darts’ grandest stage.
“I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’m so happy,” confessed Merk, who qualified by winning the PDC Europe Super League. “I wasn’t that nervous, I don’t know why. I thought at Ally Pally I would be nervous, but I wasn’t. I’m so excited to play again on this stage.”
Madars Razma also booked his place in round two, dismissing fellow debutant Jamai van den Herik 3-1. The Latvian struck early with legs of 11 and 13 darts in the opener, setting the tempo before grinding out the victory to line up a second-round clash with either Dimitri Van den Bergh or Darren Beveridge.
The tournament rolls on into the weekend with heavier artillery arriving. Former world champion Rob Cross enters the arena against Cor Dekker in the afternoon showpiece, while the evening session serves up a tasty trio – European Champion Gian van Veen versus Spain’s Cristo Reyes, and Aussie number one Damon Heta squaring off with Steve Lennon.
The PDC World Championship machine is officially motoring.
Thursday December 11th
Round One
Results
Arno Merk 3-1 Kim Huybrechts (3-2, 3-0, 1-3, 3-0)
Michael Smith 3-0 Lisa Ashton (3-2, 3-0, 3-1)
Luke Littler 3-0 Darius Labanauskas (3-2, 3-2, 3-1)
Madars Razma 3-1 Jamai van den Herik (3-2, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2)
—–Ends—–
Images: PDC
