Overview

• Michael van Gerwen edged Wessel Nijman 6-5 with a clutch 132 checkout to set up a second-round meeting with Rob Cross.
• World No. 1 Luke Humphries survived two match darts to beat James Wade 6-5 and will face Kevin Doets next.
• Top seed Stephen Bunting lost 6-4 to Danny Noppert, who now plays Josh Rock after Rock defeated Krzysztof Ratajski 6-3 with a 121 bullseye finish.
• Damon Heta cruised past Joe Cullen 6-1 and Mike De Decker beat Gabriel Clemens 6-3 despite a missed double 12 for a nine-darter by the German, pairing Heta with De Decker in round two.
• The tournament continues Saturday with the remaining first-round ties in the afternoon, including Luke Littler vs Simon Whitlock, before the second round unfolds in the evening.