Gian van Veen dethroned reigning champion Luke Humphries on the opening night of the Betfred World Matchplay, as 2023 champion Nathan Aspinall also crashed out in Blackpool.
Day One of the £800,000 event saw the two most recent World Matchplay champions exit the tournament, with Van Veen headlining a trio of Dutch winners at the Winter Gardens.
Humphries was bidding to become the fourth player in World Matchplay history to retain the iconic Phil Taylor Trophy, but the world number one was stopped in his tracks by a superb Van Veen.
The young Dutchman ran out a 10-8 winner to register his first victory at the Empress Ballroom, landing eight 180s to set up a second round showdown with his World Cup partner Danny Noppert.
Humphries converted 146 and 127 checkouts in a contest littered with quality, but Van Veen wasn’t to be denied, winning four of the last five legs to celebrate a landmark victory.
“This means so much to me,” reflected Van Veen, who was beaten in an epic tie-break by Rob Cross on debut 12 months ago.
“I have achieved plenty in my career so far, but this feels like the biggest win of my career.
“To beat such a phenomenal player like Luke is an amazing feeling. He’s such a great champion, such a great guy, so I’m over the moon.”
Van Veen will be joined in round two by his compatriot Wessel Nijman, who averaged north of 101 to defeat Aspinall 10-6 in a high-quality affair.
Nijman delivered a nerveless display on his World Matchplay debut, fending off a valiant mid-game fightback from the Stockport star, who hit a brace of 121 bull finishes in defeat.
“This is massive for me. I’m very happy with the way I played tonight,” admitted Nijman, who fired in a flurry of maximums in the closing stages.
“Obviously I have won a game at Alexandra Palace, but for me this is probably more special.
“If I play like this all the time I want to play here every time! I felt comfortable tonight, but I will just take it game by game.”
Nijman now advances to a meeting with 2007 champion James Wade, who reaffirmed his title credentials in a 10-3 demolition of 2023 semi-finalist Joe Cullen.
Wade – featuring in his 20th consecutive World Matchplay campaign – recorded his highest ever average on the Winter Gardens stage, averaging 104.77 and pinning 67% of his attempts at double.
“I’m not here to make the numbers up. I know I’m good enough to win,” declared Wade, also a five-time runner-up at this event.
“I’m very happy with that result, because we all know that Joe is a great dart player.
“This is my 20th year in Blackpool, and it’s still my favourite tournament; my favourite venue. It’s a magical place, and I’m grateful to be here!”
Elsewhere, 2022 semi-finalist Noppert dispatched an out-of-sorts Cameron Menzies in his opener, racing into a 7-0 lead before wrapping up a comprehensive 10-2 success.
Menzies endured a debut to forget at the Winter Gardens - remarkably busting his score of 178 in leg four – and Noppert took full advantage in easing through to round two.
“I’m really pleased with the way I’m playing at the moment,” insisted the former UK Open champion.
“The atmosphere was brilliant tonight. I’m really looking forward to playing Gian now. It is a tough draw, but every game is tough in this tournament.”
The Betfred World Matchplay continues with a bumper double session on Sunday, as former champions Rob Cross, Gary Anderson and Peter Wright enter the fray at the Empress Ballroom.
World Champion Luke Littler will also headline Sunday evening’s action, as 2023 runner-up Jonny Clayton and fourth seed Stephen Bunting kick off their respective campaigns.
The Betfred World Matchplay will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC's worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV (excluding UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria & Switzerland based subscribers).
Click here for live scores, match stats & results.
2025 Betfred World Matchplay
Saturday July 19 (1900 BST)
First Round x4
James Wade 10-3 Joe Cullen
Danny Noppert v Cameron Menzies
Gian van Veen 10-8 Luke Humphries
Wessel Nijman 10-6 Nathan Aspinall
Sunday July 20
Afternoon Session (1300 BST)
First Round x4
Damon Heta v Andrew Gilding
Rob Cross v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena
Dave Chisnall v Mike De Decker
Evening Session (1900 BST)
First Round x4
Gary Anderson v Luke Woodhouse
Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
Luke Littler v Ryan Searle
Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce
