The ADC Global Championship kicked off in Portsmouth, England, on Sunday, and it was a day of contrasting fortunes for some of the sport's most recognisable names. Former WDF world champion Neil Duff and Welshman David Davies both made winning starts, but former Lakeside finalist Jeff Smith endured a crushing first-round exit.
Duff, the Northern Irishman crowned WDF men's world champion in 2022, was made to work hard by England's Shaun Vernall. Vernall took three legs, but Duff ultimately came through 5-3 to book his place in the next round. For Smith, however, it was an evening to forget. The Canadian, who reached the final of the BDO World Championship at Lakeside in 2016, faced England's Michael Wiles and was unable to find any rhythm. Wiles dominated from start to finish, completing an emphatic 5-0 whitewash to send the former Lakeside finalist crashing out at the first hurdle.
David Davies produced one of the more convincing victories of the opening day, defeating experienced England international Deta Hedman 5-1. There were also opening-round wins for fellow Welshman Alex Williams, who beat Jack Tweddell 5-1, and Croatia's Romeo Grbavac, who overcame Scotland's Scott Winder 5-2. Francesco Basili edged past Karl Coleman 5-4, while Mat Caste survived another deciding-leg encounter to defeat Canadian Stephen Russell by the same scoreline.
Brian Raman, a former PDC Tour Card holder and former WDF world number one, made an excellent start with a dominant 5-0 victory over Dutch opponent Arne Spee. Heine Uuldriks, who recently made his debut on the PDC European Tour, was equally impressive against Natalie Gilbert, running out a comfortable 5-1 winner. Bradley van der Velden had to work considerably harder, edging Michael Powell in a deciding leg to claim a 5-4 victory, and Marcel Otter also needed a deciding leg to get past Gary Hayes 5-4.
Not every Dutch player enjoyed a successful start. Wesley van Trijp was beaten 5-2 by Belgium's Maxim Lemahieu, while Meinte Hibma narrowly missed out after losing 5-4 to England's Patrik Williams. Lorenzo te Hennepe also failed to progress, suffering a 5-2 defeat against Sam Spivey, and Marvin van Eenennaam endured an even more difficult evening, losing 5-0 to England's Carl Wilson. This year's ADC Global Championship features 128 players, all entering at the first-round stage in a straight knockout format, with the eventual champion taking home £20,000 in prize money.