Darts World Cup in London
Clear victory: defending champions without any starting problems
12/11/2025 – 11:28 p.mReading time: 1 min.
Defending champion Luke Littler starts the Darts World Cup without any problems. A German can also cheer.
As expected, defending champion Luke Littler started the Darts World Cup in London with a clear victory. The 18-year-old Englishman lived up to his role as favorite on the opening evening and defeated the Lithuanian Darius Labanauskas with 3-0 sets without any major problems. Labanauskas won a total of five legs, Littler nine.
For Littler, it was the first of seven victories needed to defend his title in the field of 128 participants. In round two, the youngster will face either David Davies from Wales or Mario Vandenbogaerde from Belgium at Alexandra Palace. Littler is the clear title favorite for the tournament, which runs until January 3rd.
German debutant Arno Merk also got off to a perfect start, surprisingly defeating Belgium’s veteran Kim Huybrechts 3-1. “I was really cool. But everything was overwhelming: the atmosphere, the volume. I apparently handled it well,” said Merk on Sport1. When asked about the evening’s plans, the Lower Saxon replied jokingly: “We’re taking a pub apart.”
Former world champion Michael Smith had no problems at his start. The Englishman clearly defeated Lisa Ashton 3-0. This means that the first of five participating women has been eliminated. Smith won the world title in 2023.