Four-time World Darts Championship semi-finalist James Wade was eliminated at the first hurdle, beaten 3-0 by Jermaine Wattimena. Wade, seeded 16th, won the first leg of Round 2 at Alexandra Palace, but lost his next eight games in a row as Watimena changed his style.
The Dutchman was one leg away from victory with a stunning 126 finish, and although Wade braced himself for a double 20 on his last dart to stay alive, the left-hander was able to score a double 10 on the next leg. He decisively missed four darts.
Watimena, who reached the final at the European Championships in October, made no such mistake with double eight and clinched a quick victory.
Former champion Gerwyn Price then defeated Keene Barry 3-0 to book his place in the third round. The Iceman, who won the 2021 title behind closed doors at Alexandra Palace, had not reached the last eight at any major tournament this year, but took little time to get through the first set without dropping a leg. I didn't waste it.
Barry, who had impressed with a first-round win over Kim Hybrecht, finally came on after the break, but Welshman Price continued to find his range – ultimately missing out after the second set. It took a double one to make it happen. Barry, 22, drew cheers from the crowd as he ran out 144 to tie the third set at 1-1. But it only delayed the inevitable as No. 10 seed Price finished with a 56 and was well on his way to the next round to be played after Christmas.
“I probably wanted to win that game more than any other game in my life,” Price said on Sky Sports. “I wanted to enjoy Christmas and I just wanted to get away and go home. It didn't matter how well I played or how bad I played, I just wanted to win… and after Christmas we have another tournament.”
England's Luke Woodhouse beat Lawrence Ilagan of the Philippines 3-0 in the first round, but was booed for turning down the chance with a top-billing checkout. Woodhouse won the first seven legs in a row before Ilagan finally cut the mark with a 103 finish, needing a 170 to achieve an outright victory and consecutive third place 20 seconds, but was bullish. refused to go. The crowd made their feelings clear, but Woodhouse had the last laugh on his next visit, scoring 32 points to seal a comfortable victory.
Germany's Kai Gotthard overcame a dart injury to make his tournament debut with a 3-1 victory over Scotland's Alan Soutal. In the fourth leg of the first set, the barrel of one of Gotthard's darts broke in half, giving Soutal the victory, but Gotthard fought back and won the next three sets.
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In the first match of the day, Wesley Prezier of the Netherlands recovered from a 2-1 deficit to defeat Japan's Ryusei Azemoto 3-2, setting up a second round match against former champion Peter Wright.
In the evening session, veteran American Leonard Gates put in a vintage performance, defeating Scotland's Cameron Menzies 3-1. Gates, 54, fought back tears as his hopes vanished, then hit a monster 122 checkout and two treble 18s to seal a place in the second round with Fallon Sherlock's partner Menzies.
Wales' Robert Owen achieved his first win on the world championship stage by defeating Niels Sonneveld 3-1 in the first round. Connor Scutt defeated Ben Robb 3-0 with an average of 101.92 per match, losing only a single leg to advance to the second round against Australian No. 9 seed Damon Heta.
