Humphries kicks off world title defence in style at Ally Pally
Reigning champion Luke Humphries is dreaming of creating more history after kicking off his defence of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship with a comprehensive straight-sets win over Thibault Tricole.
Newbury-born Humphries opened his bid for back-to-back World Championship titles with a demolition job against French number one Tricole, winning nine straight legs to secure his place in the third round.
Tricole ran out a hard-fought 3-1 winner against debutant Joe Comito in the tournament’s curtain-raiser, but he was blown away by the world number one in the evening’s headline act.
Humphries raced to the opening set in quick-fire fashion, and after taking out a stunning 160 checkout on his way to doubling his lead, he completed another clean sweep in set three to mark his winning return.
“It’s one of the best atmospheres and feelings I’ve ever experienced. The crowd made me feel amazing,” insisted Humphries, who received a huge ovation on his Alexandra Palace return.
“In terms of the performance, I was nowhere near my best, but all that mattered was that I won tonight. If I had averaged 105 and lost, then I’m out!
“Now I go into the second part of the tournament, and that’s where you can be at your best and really start thinking about being World Champion.”
Humphries is aiming to emulate Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson by becoming the fourth player to retain the Sid Waddell Trophy, which would cap off a remarkable 18-month spell of dominance.
“I think it’s probably been one of the best years from a World Champion since Michael van Gerwen,” added Humphries, who has featured in six major televised finals in 2024.
“I have won three major [titles] including the World Cup, I’ve made another three finals and won a couple of Euro Tours, so I’m pretty proud of the way it’s gone.
“It would be a beautiful way to top it off by becoming back-to-back World Champion. It would probably top last year, which I didn’t think I would come close to.
“There’s five tough, tough games to win before I can worry about that though, so I’m just going to focus on my next game first.”