Luke Littler suffered a first-round exit to Rob Cross on his World Grand Prix debut on a dramatic opening evening in Leicester that noticed defending champion Luke Humphries virtually expertise the identical destiny.
Littler, the 17-year-old who has received 9 titles in as many months in 2024 amid a shocking begin to his skilled darts profession, was showing for the primary time within the double-start occasion however misplaced 2-1 to Cross, the 2018 world champion and No 4 seed.
Littler levelled the match at 1-1 after shedding the primary set however a battling Cross impressively held his nerve and received the subsequent set, ending on the bullseye in his triumphant fourth leg to progress to spherical two and knock the pre-tournament favorite out.
Earlier Humphries, the defending champion, had been on the verge of an early exit himself towards an in-form Stephen Bunting, who received the primary 5 legs towards the world No 1 after which had a shot at a double to win the match.
However after ‘The Bullet’ missed the match-winning double 16, Humphries spectacularly turned the match round.
The world champion received the subsequent three legs to all of the sudden stage the match at one set apiece after which eased away within the deciding third as Bunting’s problem slowly light.
Raymond van Barneveld, the 2008-2009 runner-up, in the meantime misplaced within the first spherical for the second successive 12 months in a 2-1 defeat to Ricardo Pietreczko.
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Ricardo Pietreczko forgot to start out with a double on the World Grand Prix
‘Pikachu’ will now play Humphries in spherical two.
Within the evening’s different epic encounter, Nathan Aspinall progressed to spherical two after a last-leg shootout towards Ryan Searle.
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What’s taking place Tuesday on the World Grand Prix?
Michael van Gerwen opens his bid to assert a seventh World Grand Prix title
The primary spherical will draw to an in depth, as six-time champion Michael van Gerwen continues his bid for a seventh double-start success towards 2017 winner Daryl Gurney.
Michael Smith and Gary Anderson renew their rivalry in a repeat of their first-round showdown on the World Matchplay, whereas 2020 champion Gerwyn Worth enters the fray towards Danny Noppert.
Two-time World Grand Prix winner James Wade performs 2018 runner-up Peter Wright in one other blockbuster battle, as Chris Dobey and Joe Cullen collide on the World Grand Prix stage for a second straight 12 months.
UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh kicks off his marketing campaign towards Luke Woodhouse, with Van den Bergh’s fellow Belgian Mike De Decker pitted towards Australian No 1 Damon Heta.
Two-time runner-up Dave Chisnall will open the present in Leicester, and the sixth seed faces a troublesome take a look at towards an in-form Cameron Menzies – one among 5 debutants within the 32-player discipline.
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