💥 Discover this awesome post from BBC Sport 📖
📂 Category:
💡 Key idea:
Michael van Gerwen defeated Beau Greaves in a thrilling match as current champion Luke Littler opened his Grand Slam of Darts title defense with a victory.
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen looked to be on course for a 4-2 win at Wolves, but 21-year-old Greaves won back and forth to take the match to a deciding set.
Doncaster’s Greaves had three darts to go off 52 darts for victory but were unable to complete the match, before Van Gerwen was taken out of the game.
Greaves, who beat Luke Littler last October to become the first woman to reach the World Youth Championships final, must defeat former champion Gary Anderson on Sunday to remain in contention.
It was even smoother for Littler, 18, as he continued his perfect record in the tournament with a 5-1 win over Karel Sedlacek.
The world number two, who won his first appearance in 2024, was frustrated by the drop of one leg.
“Obviously I was looking for whitewash,” Littler said.
“I said to myself, ‘When I lost the bull, you’ve got to get off to a fast start. Anyone should do that – it’s only the first of five. That’s what I did. But yeah, it’s not the best my legs have ever dropped.’
Littler is aiming to take Luke Humphries’ place at the top of the rankings by the end of the year, but the world number one has made a strong start in his bid for his second Grand Slam of Darts title after beating Alex Spelman.
The 30-year-old bagged a maximum of two goals to complete a straightforward 5-0 win, helping them to top of Group A following Michael Smith’s 5-3 win over Nathan Aspinall.
Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price defeated Ricky Evans, Wessel Nyman defeated Josh Rock, and Stephane Belmont defeated James Wade.
All 32 players featured on the opening day of the group stage in Wolverhampton, with the day split evenly between two sessions.
💬 Tell us your thoughts in comments!
#️⃣ #Grand #Slam #Darts #Michael #van #Gerwen #survives #Greaves #scare #Luke #Littler #wins
