It’s a stat that can weigh heavily on the reigning PDC darts world champion: no holder of the trophy has lost their first game in their title defense since 2008.
Whether Luke Humphries was aware of that fact or not remains to be seen, but he certainly made light work of his first game in the 2025 edition of the showpiece.
So much so, he whitewashed opponent Thibaut Tricole; winning every single leg of the contest.
What a way to get your World Championship defense up and running…
Champion Mentality
Humphries is priced at +300 in the World Darts Championship odds from Paddy Power, ahead of former world champions Gary Anderson (+1000) and Michael van Gerwen (+1100).
The likes of World Grand Prix winner Mike de Decker (+2500) and another former world champion, Michael Smith (+2500), are also prominent in the darts odds, but none of those have had a stellar year on a par with ‘Cool Hand’ in 2024.
He started the year in the best possible fashion, winning the World Championship at London’s Alexandra Palace – achieving the pinnacle of the sport and a lifelong dream in the process.
🎄Merry Dartsmas!
I can’t wait to get up that hill and start the defence of my title.
It’s been a great year, and I’m fully focused on going back home with the 🏆
See you all tonight 💙
📸 PDC @ModusDarts180 @reddragondarts @cygroup2 @TaylorMaxwellCo @VibePay Radamec pic.twitter.com/sqr3fvvUQp — Luke Humphries (@lukeh180) December 15, 2024
But the 29-year-old hasn’t rested on his laurels since. Humphries won the World Matchplay crown in July, completing what is arguably a double of the most prestigious trophies in the PDC.
He also added the Players Championship Finals title to his collection, while alongside Smith he also won the World Cup for England in a silverware-laden campaign.
As if all that wasn’t enough, there were also final appearances at other big tournaments: the U.K. Open, the World Grand Prix, and the Premier League, at which he wasn’t quite able to get over the line.
But with such an impressive resumé, who would wager against Humphries adding another world title to his collection in January?
Eating a Bagel
Three is the magic number in the second round of the World Darts Championship: the players need to win three legs to claim a set, and then three sets to win the game.
And so if a player wins the first nine legs in a row, they are said to have ‘bagelled’ their opponent.
It’s the equivalent of the perfect game, and Humphries – while far from perfection on the day – still had enough firepower to bagel Thibaut Tricole in the opening game of the defense of his world crown.
The unique format of the World Championship sees two qualifiers compete in a first-round game. The winner goes on to play their second-round tie on the very same night against the seeded player.
A convincing start from the reigning World Champ 🏆 pic.twitter.com/DhdF7FQFbt — PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) December 15, 2024
That familiarity with the big stage and the conditions can be an advantage for the typically lower-ranked player, but Humphries made light work of Tricole’s supposed edge.
The Frenchman had earlier beaten Joe Comito, the Australian qualifier, in the first round, but Humphries – the world number one – is a different animal altogether. He only threw two 180s and had a checkout success of a lowly 34.6%, but it was too much for Tricole all the same in a straight sets thrashing.
Can Humphries become the first back-to-back world champion since Gary Anderson in 2015-16?
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