World number two Luke Humphries has exited the World Matchplay tournament following an unexpected first-round defeat to Scottish competitor Cameron Menzies. The former world champion struggled with his accuracy early on, dropping the opening six legs before finding his rhythm. Although Humphries mounted a brief recovery by securing four consecutive legs to narrow the gap to 8-7, Menzies clinched a 10-7 win by finishing with an impressive 170 checkout.
This early exit is a significant blow to Humphries, who recently showed improved form with a victory at the US Darts Masters. For the 27th-ranked Menzies, this triumph marks a career highlight, allowing him to advance to the second round where he will compete against Ross Smith. Smith secured his own progression by defeating Kevin Doets 10-6 in a competitive matchup.
In other tournament action, Gerwyn Price narrowly avoided an upset, defeating Germany’s Martin Schindler 11-9. Despite trailing 4-0 and 6-2 at various points, the Welshman rallied to take the lead and ultimately closed out the victory in the 20th leg.
