Ryan Meikle beats Jesus Salate at Ally Pally - who is he playing next and has he played Luke Litter before?
Ryan Meikle could hardly have asked for a better start at the PDC World Darts Championship as everything fell into place on the Ally Pally stage.
In a tournament already full of surprises, the Englishman kept his focus and delivered a composed straight-sets win over Argentine debutant Jesus Salate.
The victory gives Meikle a genuine chance to finally push beyond the second round, and he knows exactly how important that opportunity is.
Meikle said: “You can’t ask for much more than that - being on the last day, I’d watched a lot of the tournament and there have been a few upsets.
“That makes you concentrate even more, because I didn’t want to let him into the game or get the crowd involved. I’m over the moon to get through.”
Meikle barely allowed Salate a foothold in the match, conceding just one leg and landing 53 per cent of his doubles. The performance was a timely boost after a frustrating recent outing.
“Minehead last time out was a bit of a disaster,” he added. “So to win on TV, and put in what I thought was a solid performance, it definitely gives me confidence going forward.”
“From the outside it didn’t look great, and it wasn’t great. But I’d been playing really well before that and since.
“It was just a little bump in the road. I knew I’d come back today and be a lot better.”
This was Meikle’s fourth straight opening-round win at the World Championship, yet a run beyond Christmas has so far escaped him, largely due to the opponents he has drawn.
“The last few years I’ve had tough draws after winning my first-round game,” he said. “I played Luke Littler last year, Raymond van Barneveld when he made the top 32 on his comeback, and Peter Wright the year before when he went on to win it. I probably haven’t had much luck.”
This time, the route looks more inviting. Meikle is facing Jonny Tata in round two after Tata’s own straight-sets win over former major champion Richie Edhouse.
Meikle said: “It’s a great chance for me - I probably won’t get a better one, but it’s not going to be easy. He’ll be thinking the same thing, that it’s a good opportunity to get through to after Christmas.”
“With the prize money going up, I want to win as many games as I can and give myself a good platform for the year ahead.”