Defending champion Luke Humphries easily reached the next round at the start of the Darts World Cup in London
The English world number one won 3-0 on Sunday evening against Frenchman Thibaut Tricole, who had previously beaten Australian debutant Joe Comito in the opening game.
Humphries will not return to the oche at Alexandra Palace until after Christmas. His third-round opponent will be five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld (Netherlands), seeded 32nd, and the winner of the first-round duel between qualifier Nick Kenny (Wales) and Stowe Buntz (USA). Like Humphries, “Barney” only enters the tournament in the second round as a player from the top 32 in the world.
Humphries and Littler as favorites
For Humphries, the only thing that counts at the highlight of the year is successfully defending his title. There could be a repeat of the last final against child prodigy Luke Littler (also England) in the semi-finals. Both are also among the top favorites for the Sid Waddell Trophy and the winner’s check of 500,000 pounds (around 600,000 euros) at the 32nd edition of the World Cup. A total of £2.5 million will be paid out in bonuses.
Gotthardt was the first German in action
On Monday, Kai Gotthardt, the first of six Germans, will take part in the tournament. The 29-year-old from Esslingen am Neckar will face Scotsman Alan Soutar in the afternoon session (from 1.30 p.m.).