Luke Littler got the defence of his World Darts Championship off to a perfect start with a strong 3-0 win over Darius Labanauskas at Alexandra Palace.
Aiming to become just the fourth player to successfully defend his title at the Palace, Littler was made to show his class against 2020 quarter-finalist Labanauskas.
It was a ruthless start from the world No 1, his 101.54 average, 64 per cent on the doubles, and two ton-plus checkouts brushing a battling Labanauskas aside.
Next up, Littler faces Belgian Mario Vandenbogaerde or Welsh qualifier David Davies in the second round.
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After his win over Darius Labanauskas, Luke Littler spent the beginning of his post-match interview trying to dodge the famous Alexandra Palace wasp!
After battling the Ally Pally wasp following his battle with Labanauskas, Littler told Sky Sports: “It definitely wasn’t easy. Looking at the stats, it didn’t feel like that but I’m happy.
“There’s a bit of nerves but once you come here and you win a leg, two legs, then the first set, and that first set is crucial because it settles you down. As long as you win the sets, that’s all that matters.
“Everyone in the tournament wants to win their first round. It’s definitely the hardest game. If you don’t play well, you won’t win.
“The first game is done and now I get 10 days off.”
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Darius Labanauskas hits a brilliant 130 bullseye checkout against Luke Littler in the opening leg of their match
In the opening set, Labanauskas took Littler all the way and produced a clutch 130 checkout, but ‘The Nuke’ managed to break the throw in the final leg with a 76 checkout on tops to seal the deal, gesturing to his family that all was calm and he was in control with his 103 average.
Despite losing the opening set, Labanauskas did not go away. He took the 18-year-old to a decider once again but Littler stood firm and pinned his favourite D10 for a 14-dart hold and a 2-0 advantage.
The third set was where Littler really came into his own with a 124 checkout on the bull then a 120 in quick succession putting him one leg away before he wrapped things up on D6.
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Luke Littler takes out back-to-back 100+ finishes against Darius Labanauskas at the World Darts Championship
2023 champ Smith starts strong with whitewash win over Ashton
Michael Smith continued his battle back from injury with a 3-0 victory over Lisa Ashton.
The 2023 world champion had gone on a nice run at the Grand Slam all the way to the quarter-finals before losing to Luke Humphries.
Back on a stage he knows how to perform well on, ‘Bully Boy’ had to deal with the crowd being firmly on Ashton’s side.
Michael Smith took out seven legs in a row in his victory against Lisa Ashton
The ‘Lancashire Rose’ took Smith to a decider in the opening set, missing a set dart at the bull, but from there it was all the St Helens man as he upped his scoring and then some to take out five legs in a row, giving Ashton no chances at the double, as he took the second set and a 2-0 lead in the third.
Ashton managed to punish missed doubles to stop the rot and send the Ally Pally crowd wild but that only delayed the inevitable as he clinched D18 for the win with a 91.19 average and 36 per cent success on the doubles.
Smith will play either Niels Zonneveld from the Netherlands or New Zealand’s Haupai Puha in the second round.
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Actor Jason Sudeikis is spotted at Alexandra Palace during the opening night of the World Darts Championship, joining in with the party atmosphere
“That first set I was so nervous. I didn’t want to lose that first set and when I came back out I was thinking they would be louder and louder, so I was trying to force things and then I went 180, 180 and I thought ‘I’ve got 60 grand here’ but ended up missing,” Smith told Sky Sports.
“I had to keep focus. Not a great game. But I will take it and I have 10 days off. Solid practice now and back on the 20th.
“The butterflies were bad this morning but to be back here, I’ve never missed a year here for 15 years, but to be back the way I’ve been playing was weird and that was the first time I felt 100 per cent this year and I didn’t play 100 per cent.
“I got the job done, will concentrate on the next one and that’s the main thing now.”
Elsewhere, Arno Merk announced himself on his Alexandra Palace debut with a 3-1 victory over Kim Huybrechts.
After taking a break of throw to clinch the first set, Merk then took three legs on the spin for the second, coming back from the Belgian getting a set on the board to clinch all three legs in the fourth set for the biggest win of his career to date.
Meanwhile, Madars Razma battled through to a 3-1 win over Jamai van den Herik to close out opening night.
There were clear nerves on show for Van den Herik on his debut which allowed the experienced Razma to take advantage in the first set but the Dutchman managed to battle back and level things. However, Razma then proved too much as he rattled off the next two sets on the way to victory.
What’s next?
The World Darts Championship continues on Friday December 12 with two bumper sessions of opening round action.
The afternoon session is live from 12.30pm and sees Niels Zonneveld vs Haupai Puha, Ian White vs Mervyn King, Ryan Searle vs Chris Landman, and Rob Cross vs Cor Dekker.
Then, in the evening session, Ross Smith takes on Andreas Harrysson, Ricky Evans faces Man Lok Leung, Gian van Veen plays Cristo Reyes, and Damon Heta clashes with Steve Lennon.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on Sky Sports’ dedicated darts channel (Sky channel 407). Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
