Luke Littler made a winning start on his Poland Darts Masters debut, fending off a valiant fightback from Adam Gawlas to advance to the quarter-finals with a 6-4 success in Gliwice on Friday.
Littler, 17, survived a late scare to see off UK Open semi-finalist Gawlas, who fought back from 5-1 down to threaten an unlikely victory by taking three successive legs.
"I started off well, but I struggled with the pace of the game," said Littler, who averaged 96.97 and crashed in four maximums.
"There was always going to be a little bit of rust after my week away, but it was good to be back on stage in front of a great audience. It was like a Premier League night."
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Reigning champion Michael van Gerwen continued his winning record in Poland to set up a quarter-final clash against Boris Krcmar.
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The Dutchman began his title defence with a comprehensive 6-1 win over a below-par Karel Sedlacek, while Boris Krcmar defied five 180s from Nathan Aspinall to progress to the quarter-finals with a huge 6-4 victory against the World Matchplay champion.
"I feel great," admitted Krcmar, who landed a stunning 127 finish on the bull on his way to a landmark victory.
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"Nathan is one of the best players in the world. I played well tonight; I was a little bit nervous but I managed to win, so I'm very happy.
"I hope I can keep this form going, and I will give it my best tomorrow."
Peter Wright returned to winning ways in emphatic style, producing a trio of 15-darters in the closing stages to dispatch big-stage debutant Jacek Krupka 6-0.
Despite missing 28 darts at double, Michael Smith still averaged over 95 to complete a 6-4 victory against home hope Radek Szaganski.
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World Champion Luke Humphries joined Van Gerwen in the next round with another routine win, toppling Gyorgy Jehirszki 6-1 in the last contest of the evening.
Polish No 1 Krzysztof Ratajski was crushed 6-1 by Masters champion Stephen Bunting.
The quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of the competition that will earn the winner £20,000 take place on Saturday.
2024 Superbet Poland Darts Masters
Friday June 14
First Round x8
Rob Cross 6-1 Sebastian Bialecki
Boris Krcmar 6-4 Nathan Aspinall
Michael Smith 6-4 Radek Szaganski
Peter Wright 6-0 Jacek Krupka
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Karel Sedlacek
Luke Littler 6-4 Adam Gawlas
Stephen Bunting 6-1 Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries 6-1 György Jehirszki
Saturday June 15 (6pm UK & Ireland)
Quarter-Finals
Luke Littler vs Peter Wright
Luke Humphries vs Michael Smith
Rob Cross vs Stephen Bunting
Michael van Gerwen vs Boris Krcmar
Best of 11 legs
Semi-Finals
Littler/Wright vs Humphries/Smith
Cross/Bunting vs Van Gerwen/Krcmar
Best of 13 legs
Final
Littler/Wright/Humphries/Smith vs Cross/Bunting/Van Gerwen/Krcmar
Best of 15 legs
What's next on Sky Sports?
The World Cup of Darts will take place from 27 to 30 June 2024 at the Eissporthalle in Frankfurt, Germany.
Wales' Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton are the defending champions and they'll be determined to fend off 39 other nations to retain their title.
Luke Humphries and Smith are in line to represent England but Littler will not feature because the two highest-ranked English players in the PDC Order of Merit are picked. 'The Nuke' is currently 25th in the Order of Merit.
Fans are also able to stream the entire action on NOW TV through their mobile device or tablet.
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World Cup of Darts: Fixtures
Thursday, June 27 (6pm BST)
Group Stage - Opening Matches
Friday, June 28
Afternoon Session (11am BST)
Group Stage - Second Matches
Evening Session (6pm BST)
Group Stage - Final Matches
Saturday, June 29
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)
Second Round x4
Evening Session (6pm BST)
Second Round x4
Sunday, June 30
Afternoon Session (12pm BST)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (6pm BST)
Semi-Finals
Final
What is the format?
- Group Stage - Best of seven legs
- Second Round - Best of 15 legs
- Quarter-Finals - Best of 15 legs
- Semi-Finals - Best of 15 legs
- Final - Best of 19 legs
All matches will be played in a doubles format
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