Luke Humphries Starts World Title Defense with Decisive Victory

Luke Humphries is scheduled to return to action after the Christmas break; he initiated his world title defence with a dominant 3-0 victory over Thibault Tricole on the opening night. The world number one progressed comfortably with an average of 90.79, securing all nine legs in the second round of the PDC World Championship held at Alexandra Palace in London. Following his win, Humphries stated: “It was nowhere near my best, but it is two different tournaments, all that matters is to win tonight. Even if I don’t win again I will be proud of the year I have. It would be a beautiful way to top it off if I could become back-to-back world champion. But I have five games to get through.” Earlier in the event, Tricole, notable as the first Frenchman to participate in the tournament last year, had overcome Australian qualifier Joe Comito with a 3-1 score in the initial match. The championship commenced with considerable anticipation, fueled by a recent increase in darts’ popularity, particularly after teenager Luke Littler’s progression to the 2024 final in January, where Humphries defeated him 7-4. The 29-year-old Englishman, Humphries, has experienced a remarkable year. He is scheduled to return to play after the Christmas break, potentially facing 2007 PDC world champion Raymond van Barneveld in the third round, should the Dutch competitor advance. In addition to his world championship victory, Humphries also secured his first World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay titles, and successfully defended his Players Championship Finals crown in Minehead last month. Elsewhere, European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena secured a Monday afternoon fixture against 16th seed James Wade, having achieved a 3-0 win over Swiss debutant Stefan Bellmont, with Wattimena recording an average of 98.54. Irishman Keane Barry defeated Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts 3-1 and is now set to compete against 2021 world champion Gerwyn Price in the second round on Monday evening. The 22-year-old Barry overcame losing the initial set and endured 10 180s from his adversary to claim the win. A somber announcement preceded the matches, revealing that Sky Sports pundit Wayne Mardle’s wife, Donna, had passed away earlier in the week following a brief illness. Mardle, a five-time World Championship semi-finalist, was not present for the television broadcast. **First Round Results:** Thibault Tricole 3-1 Joe Comito Jermaine Wattimena 3-0 Stefan Bellmont Kim Huybrechts 1-3 Keane Barry **Second Round Result:** Luke Humphries 3-0 Thibault Tricole All times GMT. **Upcoming Matches – Afternoon Session (12:30):** Wesley Plaisier v Ryusei Azemoto Luke Woodhouse v Lourence Ilagan Alan Soutar v Kai Gotthardt James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena **Evening Session (19:00):** Live text commentary will be accessible on the BBC Sport website and app. Niels Zonneveld v Robert Owen Connor Scutt v Ben Robb Cameron Menzies v Leonard Gates Gerwyn Price v Keane Barry Sandi Toksvig is accompanied by Gyles Brandreth, Lulu, Emmanuel Sonubi, and Alan Davies. Opportunities are available to sing along to tracks by Queen, Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Katy Perry, and other artists. Ben Fogle and Kate Humble have returned for the festive events at Longleat Safari Park. Topics covered range from microplastics present in air, soil, and waterways, to the volume of food waste typically generated at this time of year. © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.