Day 1 of the PDC World Darts Championship is here and is headlined by the usual tradition of the reigning champion playing on the opening night. Luke Humphries capped off a wonderful season to win a maiden World title at Alexandra Palace last year by defeating the teenage sensation Luke Littler in a captivating final.
The world number one is coming here to attempt to win back-to-back world titles and become only the fourth player in history to do so. He faces an interesting opening match, as he plays the winner of French number one Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito, the PDC DPAtour number one.
Other first-round games this evening feature European Championship finalist Jermaine Wattimena, who takes on Stefan Bellmont from Switzerland, and Former Belgian number 1 and Premier League star Kim Huybrechts, who will play Keane Barry, the young up-and-coming star from Ireland.
James Hubbard's World Darts Championship Betting Tips: Day One
Kim Huybrechts to Win 3-1: 10/3 at Bet365
Kim Huybrechts vs Keane Barry
Kim Huybrechts best days seem behind him now but he's still a very capable operator. He had a very serious injury earlier in the year, which looked at first like it could have ended his career, so just qualifying for this event will be a huge relief. He's a former Quarter finalist here albeit 12 years ago on debut.
The Belgian did reach the final on the Euro Tour at the Czech Darts Open this year and also beat the impressive Wessel Nijman in the first round of the most recent Major, The Players Championship Finals. This year will be his 14th appearance at Ally Pally so he certainly has plenty of experience to lean on.
Keane Barry was tipped to be a future superstar a few years ago, and for some reason, that hasn't quite happened for him yet. Still only 22, this is remarkably his sixth appearance at the World Championships, so it is clear he has fantastic ability. The Irishman has shown that at times this season with a run to a quarterfinal on the Players Championship floor events and a deep run to the last 16 of the UK Open.
This is going to be a closely matched contest but I think Huybrechts will have a little too much for the young Irishman. Experience is key in darts, especially at the World Championship, so I expect the Belgian to come through this game and set up a fiery second-round match with Gerwyn Price.
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James is a former professional dart player who enjoys writing about darts, golf and football. In 2012, he was crowned the PDC World Youth Champion and these days, he puts his expertise to use with betting tips for BettingLounge readers.