Luke Littler launched his Paddy Power World Darts Championship title defence in emphatic fashion, recording a dominant 3-0 whitewash against Darius Labanauskas on the tournament’s opening night at Alexandra Palace.

Making his first appearance at Ally Pally as reigning World Champion and world number one, the 18-year-old delivered a composed and confident performance, averaging 101 and underlining his status as the man to beat.

Littler edged through a tense opening set with a crucial 76 checkout in a deciding leg, before repeating the feat to move 2-0 ahead. Although Labanauskas averaged over 95 and stayed competitive throughout, Littler’s finishing proved decisive, sealing victory with clinical checkouts of 124 and 120. Reflecting on his return to the iconic stage, Littler said, “I’m very happy with the performance.”

He added, “When I woke up this morning, I was excited. It felt very special to be back.” Acknowledging the significance of the venue, he continued, “This was my first ever PDC tournament, so I have a lot of memories here,” before concluding, “A win is a win and that’s the hardest game out of the way.”

Former World Champion Michael Smith also progressed with a straight-sets victory, brushing aside Lisa Ashton 3-0 to reach round two. After a slightly nervy start, Smith settled quickly and closed out the match in commanding style. “I’m happy to win,” he said. “I stepped up when I needed to so I’ll take that as a positive. To come back for the second round is amazing.” Drawing on past success, Smith added, “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 impressed with a 3-1 win over Kim Huybrechts. “I’m feeling overwhelmed, I’m so happy,” Merk admitted, adding, “I’m so excited to play again on this stage.” Madars Razma also advanced with a solid victory, as anticipation builds for another star-studded day at Ally Pally.

Source: PDC.TV