Gian van Ven survived a scare from Cristo Reyes to win 3-1 at Alexander Palace, his first World Darts win at the third time of asking.
World number seven Van Veen remarkably entered the second night at the Palace without a win on the big stage, having lost to Man Lok Leung and Ricard Pietrecko in his previous two appearances, but this time he managed to fight back for victory.
The Dutchman didn’t need to reach a particularly dizzying height to wrap up the first set, and his average of 92.26 was enough to keep Reyes at bay.
In the second set, Van Veen really came into his own and showed his recent form with an incredible average of 107 to help him gallop 2-0 up.
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Cristo Reyes took 167 in impressive fashion as he won the first match of the third set against Gian van Veen
However, Reies did not give up and found a brilliant 167 checkout, plus two break points, to get the set on the board before taking the fourth set all the way, Van Veen eventually scoring his monumental D16 win.
“Finally over that line! It’s been a big fight here on this stage for the last few years, but today I felt at home. Fortunately, it paid off,” said Van Ven Ski Sports.
“Two years ago, when I was 2-0 up against Man Lok Leung and he won 3-2. When Cristo took the third set, I said ‘oh no, don’t go back to 2-2 and don’t be nervous’.”
“Fortunately, in the last set at 2-1 I started to play well, so I’m very happy.”
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Ross Smith won the third set against Andreas Harrison, despite having a wasp on his shoulder during the leg!
Meanwhile, Ross Smith became the first seed to go down at this year’s World Cup as he squandered six match points in a shock defeat to the 50-year-old Swedish debutant Andreas Harrisson.
Smith, the 12th seed, took a 2-1 lead but failed to capitalize on his chance in the fourth set after battling ace Ali Pally and was punished by Harrison who won five straight legs en route to taking the match to a decider and winning the fifth set himself.
Evans and Hetta show class and skill in first round victories
Ricky Evans put in a solid display to beat Lok Leung 3-0 in the first round.
Lok Leung left his mark on Ali Pali back in 2024 when he defeated Van Veen on his debut, but was unable to repeat the feat on his return.
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Evans explains why he doesn’t like sauce so much after winning his first match at the World Darts Championship
Evans wowed the crowd with his festive walk to Shakin’ Stevens’ ‘Merry Christmas Everybody’ and then wowed them with his darts, a sensational 134 checkout to top the first set as he took a 1-0 lead.
Evans didn’t let his level drop in the second set, but Lok Leung met him to make it a real battle, the Englishman eventually surviving the scare and pinning the tops to go 2-0 up.
Despite Lok Leung breaking Evans’ serve to take the third set to a fifth decider, Evans fired his 11th 140 en route to an 84, nailing D12 for the match.
Damon Hatta put in an all-out display to beat Steve Lennon 3-1.
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Damon Hetta won 144 and 110 in straight legs as he won the first set against Steve Lennon
‘The Heat’ lived up to his nickname in the first set as he took all three legs, dropping a silky 144 and 110 checkouts en route to a 1-0 lead. Lennon then rallied as the pair shared breaks in the opening stages of the second set, but the Aussies came good with a check out of 100 to seal the deal, putting on a show for the Alli Palli faithful.
Heta’s clinical finish was held up as Lennon fought back in the decider to make it 2-1 but fired back from there to take three legs on the bounce to complete the fourth set for victory.
Cross signs for the win with ‘The Big Fish’ as White, Searle wins
Former world champion Rob Cross made a strong start to his bid for a second world title after defeating Norway’s Kor Dekker in straight sets at Alexandra Palace on Friday afternoon.
Rob Cross averaged 90.84 during his 3-0 win over Cora Decker
2018 Syd Waddell Trophy winner dropped just two games during a one-sided contest against Decker, who struggled in the outer ring on his World Championship debut.
Cross cruised through the first set flat-footed to take the second in the final game, then delivered the finish as he sealed victory by nailing the first ‘Big Fish’ 170 checkout of this year’s tournament.
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Cross booked his place in the second round with a blistering 170 against Decker
“I was a little nervous today,” Cross he told Ski Sports. “I thought I was going to come out and be brand new, but I’m not. I’m really proud of myself. I’m glad I got through and there’s a lot more in the tank. A lot of fire in the belly. I think I’ll be better next game – I’m back!”
‘Voltage’ will be the next person Ian Whitewho blew a two-set lead against fellow veteran Mervyn King before pulling off a dramatic 3-2 victory, while Neils Zonneveld set up a second round meeting with former world champion Michael Smith after a 3-0 win over Haupai Puha.
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Niels Zoneveld scored 158 en route to victory over Haupai Pooh at the World Darts Championship
He saw the second match of the session Ryan Searle thrashing Chris Landman in straight sets, with the ‘Heavy Metal’ – the 17th seed – now facing either Brendan Dolan or Tavis Dudeney in the next round.
What’s next?
Mario Vandenbogaerde vs. David Davies in the first leg of Saturday afternoon’s match, live from 12.30 on Ski Sports Dartswith reigning world champion Luke Littler awaiting the winner.
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Highlights from Luke Littler’s winning start to his title defense against Darius Labanauskas at Alexander Palace
Andrew Gilding takes on Cam Crabtree, Luke Woodhouse takes on Boris Krchmar and Gary Anderson begins his bid for a third world title against Adam Hunt, before Luke Humphries headlines the evening session from 7pm.
Jeffrey de Graaf takes on the legendary Paul Lim and Wessel Nyman takes on Karel Sedlacek ahead of Humphries’ opener with Ted Evetts, while former semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens takes on Alex Spelman in the final.
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch every match exclusively live until January 3 on the dedicated darts channel Ski Sports (Ski channel 407). Stream darts and more top sports with NOW.