Ryan Joyce defeated Dariusz Labanauskas in the first round of the World Darts Championship. The fight was even for a long time, but in the end “Relentless” was able to hit doubles a little more often at the right moments.
The match started off great with Joyce scoring 126 points in the first match to take the lead. The Briton, who reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix earlier this year, then scored double figures of 16 points to double his lead.
Labanauskas also performed well, but missed two small opportunities in doubles and played the first game. Joyce ultimately ended the first set with a 16-darter double 16 and went into the first break with the lead.
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Both men averaged over 100 points in the first set, although that number dropped slightly in the second set. In the second set, the Lithuanian took the lead thanks to double 16 shots. In both the second and third games, Labanauskas easily solved the problem after 16 throws.
In the third set, Joyce took the lead after a 14-darter, but “Lucky D” reacted immediately and equalized the score. The match was close, but Labanauskas missed 4 darts to keep his leg. Relentless’ took advantage, hitting a double-4 to take a 2-1 lead.
Joyce missed the mark and made a spectacular start to the fourth set, finishing at 170 before Labanauskas shot an 80 to take the lead. However, the current world number 33 immediately hit a double 10 to equalize.
In the third and fourth games, “Lucky D” had two more chances to play, but the Lithuanian did not take advantage of these chances. Joyce punished it and thus won the match: 3-1.
Ryan Joyce now has three days off before he faces Dutchman Danny Noppert in the second round on Saturday evening, December 21.
