Littler through to round two at World Championship

Luke Littler began the defence of his PDC World Championship title with a straight-set victory over Darius Labanauskas of Lithuania.

The world number one, 18, was the headline act on the opening night at Alexandra Palace.

Although the set scoreline looked convincing and Littler never appeared under real threat, 49-year-old Labanauskas provided stubborn first-round opposition.

A former quarter-finalist at Alexandra Palace, world number 95 Labanauskas held throw in the first leg of the match with a 130 checkout on the bull and took both of the first two sets to deciding legs.

“It definitely wasn’t easy and I’m happy with the win,” Littler, who posted a three-dart average of 101.54 and landed nine of his 14 attempts at doubles, told Sky Sports.

“There were a few nerves but once you win a leg and win a set, it settles you down. That first set was crucial against the darts.

“Everyone in the tournament wants to get through the first round. It’s definitely the hardest game – it doesn’t matter who you play. If you don’t play well, you’re not going to win, so I’m very happy with that.”

Littler became the youngest-ever world darts champion in January when, shortly before his 18th birthday, he beat Michael van Gerwen to win the title.

Elsewhere on the opening night, 2023 world champion Michael Smith beat Women’s World Matchplay winner Lisa Ashton 3-0.

Ashton, who had the majority of the crowd on her side, won two of the first three legs but Englishman Smith, 35, then put together a run of seven successive legs on his way to securing a spot in the last 64.

“That first set was nerve-wracking,” Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live. “As soon as I walked out, the crowd was on me straight away.

“I expected it but I thought if I go 1-0 down, it was going to get worse and worse.

“I tried to force things that weren’t there, but when I took that first set, it was happy days. I started to settle in then and nearly threw it away in the last set, but we’ll take the win.”

German debutant Arno Merk and Latvia’s Madars Razma also made it through to round two with 3-1 wins against Belgium’s Kim Huybrechts and Dutchman Jamai van den Herik respectively.

A total of 128 players are competing in the World Championship, up from 96 last year, for an increased first prize of £1m.

Thursday results

Friday schedule

From 12:30 GMT:

From 19:00 GMT: