Luke Littler said he had to “find another gear” as he started the defence of his World Matchplay Darts title with a 10-6 first-round win over Niko Springer at Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
Littler trailed 3-2 at the first break before turning it around and, although Germany’s Springer stayed in touch with the top seed to later level at 5-5, the Briton won five out of the last six legs to power to victory.
Littler, 19, hit seven 180s during the match and averaged 109.53 as he laid down a marker for the rest of the competition.
The world number one triumphed in the tournament 12 months ago and has also won the first three majors in 2026.
“It felt good. It felt very nice. The first five legs were okay and then when I came back off the break I felt really good,” said Littler.
“It was bit annoying not going into the second break with the lead. Niko played his part but I found another gear and finished it off.”
Littler demonstrated his trademark charisma during the match as he told a fan “I’ll be the next England manager” after someone showed him a sign asking him to do Thomas Tuchel’s job.
England exited the World Cup after a dramatic 2-1 defeat by Argentina on Wednesday, but should the Three Lions have reached Sunday’s final, the PDC had plans to alter the schedule of the tournament so the events wouldn’t clash.
The other first round matches saw English ninth seed Stephen Bunting edge Dutchman Niels Zonneveld as he survived three match-darts to win 13-12 in a thriller.
English eighth seed Josh Rock defeated countryman Luke Woodhouse 10-4, while 16th seed Nathan Aspinall won his all-English tie against Joe Cullen 10-5.
The prize money for the competition is £1m with the winner receiving £225,000.
