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.
However, the world champion will still fancy his chances to go all the way as the pre-tournament favourite, but he cannot afford any more slip-ups.
Littler, meanwhile, showed that he is a force to be reckoned with on his Grand Slam debut.
The 17-year-old thrashed Keane Barry 5-0, taking just six minutes on stage to conquer his old foe.
In 2019, Barry beat Littler in the JDC finals, landing a 4-2 victory over him when he was just 12 years old.
Now, the Nuke has settled the score in emphatic fashion as he raced into a 3-0 lead with a 14-darter, 12-darter and then an 11-darter.
And Barry had no reply as Littler cleaned up with little opposition, ending the match with an average of 112.16 and 56 per cent on doubles.
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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“I wanted to make a statement. I’m here to win” 💪
Luke Littler on his impressive Grand Slam debut match 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/R78PCBAhpZ
— Sky Sports Darts (@SkySportsDarts) November 9, 2024
“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.”