Luke Humphries Declares Himself “Dangerous” Ahead of World Title Defense

Luke Humphries, the reigning champion, has asserted he will be “dangerous” as he prepares to defend his PDC World Championship title, despite being ranked as the bookmakers’ second favourite, trailing Luke Littler. His opening match is scheduled as the final contest of Sunday’s initial session, commencing at 19:00 GMT. Humphries, whose campaign begins on Sunday’s opening night, previously defeated teenage prodigy Littler in the January final to secure the championship. However, he states that clinching the title for a second consecutive year would hold even greater significance for him. The 29-year-old Englishman commented, “I think it would be more special. When you win it the first time, it’s great but when you prove yourself and do it back to back, I think that would be an emotional one. I want to know how it feel.” He added, “It’s been the most amazing year but it’s a year you want to go and do again. The want for me to be world champion every year is going to be increased. I’m going to be dangerous at the worlds this year.” Humphries is set to compete against the victor of the earlier Sunday match between Thibault Tricole and Joe Comito. This second-round encounter will take place at Alexandra Palace in London. This 32nd iteration of the tournament will bring together 96 players from across the world, all vying for a top prize of £500,000. Tricole, who made history last year as the first Frenchman to participate in the tournament, where he was eliminated in the second round by 2018 champion Rob Cross, acknowledged that a match against Humphries would present a formidable challenge. Speaking to BBC Sport, Tricole stated, “He is the reigning world champion, world number one and last winner of a PDC tournament – the Players Championship Finals. There’s no one fitter than him.” He continued, “So it would be quite a challenge for me. If I manage to play him, I’d love to give it my all and make him doubt me. But maybe he wouldn’t be at his best. It’s hard to believe that I could beat him even if I played him, but I’d do everything I could to do so.” Although the ascent to prominence of 17-year-old Littler, who has secured 10 titles in his inaugural professional season, has been recognized for contributing to a boost in darts’ popularity, Humphries has expressed satisfaction with his performance during his year as world number one. He remarked, “It’s been amazing, it’s been very tiring. I’ve enjoyed it, I think I’ve done myself justice.” Humphries further added, “I’ve been in six major finals, won the World Cup [with England], the World Matchplay and retained the Players Championship Finals – I can’t say it’s not been a success. I’m quite proud of the way I’ve handled myself.” In May, Littler defeated Humphries to claim the Premier League title. On Sunday, December 15, top seed Luke Humphries is scheduled for the final match of the evening session, commencing at 19:00 GMT. Thursday, December 19, will see English second seed Michael Smith compete against the victor of Tuesday’s all-Dutch contest between Kevin Doets and Noa-Lynn van Leuven. Van Leuven is notable as the first transgender player in the competition, having secured one of two Women’s Series qualifying positions alongside Fallon Sherrock. On Friday, December 20, Dutch third seed Michael van Gerwen will commence his pursuit of a fourth world title. He is slated to play either James Hurrell or Jim Long, following their match on Tuesday. Saturday, December 21, marks Luke Littler’s return to the Ally Pally, now ranked number four in the world, a significant jump from his 164th ranking before last year’s tournament. He will face either Sherrock or Ryan Meikle, who are scheduled to play on Tuesday. Five years ago, Sherrock became the first woman to win matches at the world championship. Live text commentary will be accessible via the BBC Sport website and app. First round matches (starting 19:00 GMT): Thibault Tricole v Joe Comito Jermaine Wattimena v Stefan Bellmont Kim Huybrechts v Keane Barry Second round: Luke Humphries v Tricole/Comito