The 2024 champion, Luke Humphries, has comfortably progressed to the third round of the PDC World Championship, defeating 71-year-old Paul Lim in a one-sided match. Humphries' ruthless performance saw him win all of the first eight legs played, before Lim finally landed double top to clinch his only leg of the contest.
Prior to the match, Humphries had expressed his admiration for Lim, describing him as a "legend" and revealing that their previous encounter in December 2020 was a turning point in his career. The mutual respect between the two players was evident as they shared a warm handshake after Lim's successful shot at double, and again once Humphries had wrapped up the dominant victory.
Humphries admitted he was "glad" Lim was able to win a leg, stating: "Against someone you really like and you're 6-0 up in legs, honestly it's hard because you don't want to destroy people all of the time. There are certain players that you want to, but certain players you don't want to and he's one that you don't."
The 30-year-old Englishman will face Germany's Gabriel Clemens in the next round, and he is confident about his chances. Humphries told Sky Sports: "It was a game I had to win, that was the most important thing and I put myself in a good position after the first two sets. He [Lim] is just a legend, I love him to bits and I hope that's not the last time we see him on this stage."
Gian van Veen and Nathan Aspinall, seeded 10th and 15th respectively, also made it through to the last 32 during Monday's evening session. Van Veen put in a statement performance against Scotland's Alan Soutar, averaging almost 105 across the first two sets and ending with a match average of 108.28.
The Dutchman, 23, took advantage of Soutar's slip to level the match and won the next six legs, demonstrating his title credentials. Van Veen said: "If I can continue like this all tournament, I could go really far. Last week, I was just happy to win my first game [at the World Championship] and now I'm happy to survive [in the tournament past] Christmas."
Latvia's Madars Razma will be Van Veen's next opponent, having beaten Scottish opponent Darren Beveridge earlier on Monday. Aspinall, meanwhile, will face Ryan Searle in the next round after defeating James Wade in a thrilling tie.
In the afternoon session, seventh seed Wade suffered a fourth successive second-round exit, losing to fellow Englishman Ricky Evans. Evans twice led by a set and both players missed match darts in the decider, with the world number 43 eventually taking it 6-4 in the fifth.
Evans said on stage after his victory: "Imagine coming to the darts and winning 3-0 - what's the point? Make it interesting."
Highly-rated Englishman Charlie Manby, 20, was a straight-set winner against American Adam Sevada and will be Evans' third-round opponent. Dutch 31st seed Wessel Nijman struggled on the doubles as he lost 3-0 to Clemens, who reached the semi-finals in 2023.
The first session of the day saw both seeds in action - James Wade and Wessel Nijman - eliminated. Their exits mean 14 of the 32 seeded players have already gone out of the tournament, with eight remaining second-round matches to be played on Tuesday.
The PDC World Championship continues on Tuesday, with the remaining second-round matches set to take place. The tournament has already seen several upsets, and fans can expect more exciting matches as the competition progresses.
Key Takeaways:The 2024 champion, Luke Humphries, has advanced to the third round of the PDC World Championship. Gian van Veen and Nathan Aspinall have also made it through to the last 32. The tournament has seen several upsets, including the exit of seeds James Wade and Wessel Nijman. The remaining second-round matches will take place on Tuesday.
The PDC World Championship is one of the most prestigious tournaments in the darts calendar, and fans can expect more thrilling matches as the competition progresses.Original: BBC Sport
Image: BBC Sport
Written by Npsports
