Reigning champion Luke Humphries slumped to a shock defeat in his opening match at the Grand Slam of Darts as Luke Littler ran riot.
Humphries has arrived at the Grand Slam as the hot favourite to reclaim his 2023 crown after an incredible year where he has consolidated his position as No. 1 in the world.
But a sloppy performance where he missed several doubles saw Rowby-John Rodriguez claim a famous 5-3 win in their group-stage opener.
And he did so in style, landing a huge T20-T19-D12 finish that saw the Wolverhampton crowd erupt – and bust a few accumulators no doubt.
Luke Humphries and Luke Littler had very different nights at the Grand Slam of Darts opener
Sky Sports
With Humphries on 52 at the time, it was an incredible way to claim the victory – especially considering Cool Hand had just taken out 164 in the previous leg to narrow the gap.
It leaves Humphries staring at an uphill struggle to qualify from his group, which also includes James Wade and Michael Mansell.
Luke Littler took just six minutes to beat Keane Barry
Sky Sports
“I wanted to make a statement. I’m here to win,” Littler told Sky Sports after his victory.
“It’s like the Champions League football group stage. Leading up to it I was practising well and enjoying it, but I’m really glad tonight.
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“When I came on stage, all the fans were singing my walk-on and it gets me up for it and gets me ready. I’m glad I won tonight.
“I want to top the group, everyone wants to. There’s a little bonus for finishing top, so get out the group stage and then focus on the first to 10 legs and hopefully go on and on.”
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