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Luke Littler said he had to “find another gear” as he began his defense of his World Matchplay Darts title with a 10-6 first-round win over Nico Springer at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.
Littler trailed 3-2 in the first break before turning around and, although Germany’s Springer moved level at 5-5 with top seed, the Brit won five of the last six legs.
Littler, 19, hit seven 180s during the match and averaged 109.53 as he set a marker for the rest of the competition.
The world number one won the tournament 12 months ago and won the first three majors in 2026.
“It felt good. It felt great. The first five legs were fine and then when I came back from the break I felt really good,” Littler said.
“It was a bit frustrating not going into the second break with the lead. Nico did his part but I found another gear and finished it.”
Littler displayed his trademark charisma during the match as he told a fan “I’ll be the next England manager” when someone showed him a sign telling him to do Thomas Tuchel’s job.
England withdrew from the World Cup a A dramatic 2-1 loss by Argentina on Wednesday, but with the Three Lions reaching Sunday’s final, the PDC planned to alter the tournament schedule to avoid clashing events.
In other first-round matches, English ninth seed Stephen Bunting saw off Dutchman Nils Jonveld as he survived a three-match drubbing to win 13-12 in a thriller.
English eighth seed Josh Rock defeated compatriot Luke Woodhouse 10-4, while 16th seed Nathan Aspinall won his All-England tie against Joe Cullen 10-5.
The prize money of the competition is £1m and the winner will receive £225,000.
