Peter Wright declared ‘class is permanent’ after kicking off his bid for a third Paddy Power World Darts Championship title with a hard-fought victory over Wesley Plaisier on Tuesday.
Wright was the star attraction on Day Three at Alexandra Palace, and the two-time World Champion enjoyed a winning return to set up a third round tussle against Jermaine Wattimena post-Christmas.
Wattimena dispatched James Wade on Monday afternoon, although Wright survived a similar fate against Plaisier, defying a mid-game fightback from the Dutchman to secure his first televised ranking victory since March’s UK Open.
“The crowd got me through that whole match,” admitted Wright – one of eight World Champions in this year’s tournament.
“The support did spur me on. I didn’t want to let them down, I didn’t want to let my family down, and thankfully I got away with it tonight.
“It’s nice to see Jermaine playing some fantastic darts, so I’ve got to step up, but class is permanent, and form is temporary!”
Wright seized the early initiative with a 13-dart hold on tops, before profiting from eight missed set darts from Plaisier to double his advantage.
The Dutchman halved the deficit with a clean sweep in set three – sealed with a superb 136 checkout – only for Wright to complete a dramatic comeback in the fourth to book his spot in the last 32.
However, World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker became the second seed to crash out in the capital, following a 3-1 defeat to European Championship semi-finalist Luke Woodhouse.
Alexandra Palace hasn’t been the happiest of hunting grounds for De Decker, and that pattern continued as Woodhouse punished a below-par display from the Belgian to move through to round three.
“It wasn’t an Ally Pally classic by any means, but to be in the last 32 is unbelievable,” reflected Woodhouse, who will face Connor Scutt or Damon Heta for a place in the last 16.
“It’s a massive achievement, and if I can come here and put a full performance together, I have definitely got the potential to go far.
“Connor is playing brilliantly, Damon is a fantastic player who has proven himself over the last three to four years, but why can’t I have a run?”
Tuesday’s double session saw a further six first-round ties take place in north London, as Ryan Meikle denied Fallon Sherrock another history-making moment on the World Championship stage.
Meikle landed a trio of ton-plus checkouts on his way to a deciding-set victory, taking out 111, 119 and 122 finishes before sealing his progress with a 12-dart break in a dramatic finale.
“It was a massive battle, so I’m very relieved to get through,” declared Meikle, who will lock horns with Luke Littler on Saturday evening.
“I’m really excited. Luke is an unbelievable player, but I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve got a chance. I’m still here, so you never know – I am just going to play my own game.”
Sherrock exited the tournament alongside Noa-Lynn van Leuven, who succumbed 3-1 to fellow Dutch star Kevin Doets on her World Championship debut.
Doets will now renew his rivalry with 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith on Thursday, after defying a strong start from Van Leuven to set up a clash against world number two Smith for a second straight year.
Jeffrey de Graaf survived a scare to see off Rashad Sweeting, who became the first player from the Bahamas to compete at the World Darts Championship.
Sweeting captured the hearts of the Alexandra Palace crowd with an enigmatic display, and he threatened to cause a seismic shock after moving to the cusp of a two-set cushion.
However, the debutant squandered five darts for a 2-0 lead, and De Graaf capitalised with a clinical 107 kill to level, which sparked an impressive turnaround.
De Graaf’s reward is a second round tussle against two-time World Champion Gary Anderson – one of the favourites to lift the coveted Sid Waddell Trophy in January.
Ricardo Pietreczko enjoyed a winning return at Ally Pally, accounting for China’s premier player Xiaochen Zong in straight sets to move through to a meeting against Gian van Veen.
Ryan Joyce denied Darius Labanauskas in a battle of the former quarter-finalists to continue his impressive form, with Dutch number two Danny Noppert awaiting Joyce in round two.
Elsewhere, James Hurrell won through to a second round tie against three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen, after marking his debut with an emphatic straight sets victory over Jim Long.
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship continues on Wednesday evening, as two-time semi-finalist Nathan Aspinall opens his challenge against American star Leonard Gates.
UK Open semi-finalist Ricky Evans will play Gordon Mathers, Latvia’s Madars Razma meets former Lakeside Champion Christian Kist, while Jim Williams kicks off the action against Filipino thrower Paolo Nebrida.
The Paddy Power World Darts Championship is being broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
Click here for live scores, match stats & results.
2024/25 Paddy Power World Darts Championship
Tuesday December 17
Afternoon Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
James Hurrell 3-0 Jim Long (3-0, 3-1, 3-0) (R1)
Kevin Doets 3-1 Noa-Lynn van Leuven (1-3, 3-1, 3-1, 3-2) (R1)
Ryan Joyce 3-1 Darius Labanauskas (3-0, 0-3, 3-1, 3-1) (R1)
Luke Woodhouse 3-1 Mike De Decker (3-0, 3-1, 0-3, 3-1) (R2)
Evening Session
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jeffrey de Graaf 3-1 Rashad Sweeting (1-3, 3-2, 3-0, 3-1) (R1)
Ricardo Pietreczko 3-0 Xiaochen Zong (3-0, 3-2, 3-1) (R1)
Ryan Meikle 3-2 Fallon Sherrock (0-3, 3-0, 3-0, 2-3, 3-1) (R1)
Peter Wright 3-1 Wesley Plaisier (3-2, 3-2, 0-3, 3-2) (R2)
Wednesday December 18 (1900 GMT)
3x First Round, 1x Second Round
Jim Williams v Paolo Nebrida (R1)
Madars Razma v Christian Kist (R1)
Ricky Evans v Gordon Mathers (R1)
Nathan Aspinall v Leonard Gates (R2)
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