"He's not going to like me and Luke taking his thunder" - Luke Humphries expects Michael van Gerwen to be at his best in World Matchplay first round vs Littler

Luke Humphries has impressively qualified for the second round of the 2024 World Matchplay. 'Cool Hand Luke' comfortably defeated an impressive Ricardo Pietreczko 10-4 in the first round on Saturday night.

Humphries played somewhere close to his best in the tie, averaging a whopping 108.76 in the process. "I felt really good in the lead up to this tournament and I felt a million dollars tonight," Humphries reflected post-match. "If I hadn't played so well I would've lost because Ricardo was fantastic tonight."

Since claiming his first world title at the Alexandra Palace earlier this year, Humphries has understandably been brimming with confidence and recently added more success to his resume at the World Cup of Darts alongside Michael Smith. "Since the World Cup I've got back into my old routine and have been practicing more," he explains. "I'm embracing life as World Champion now and I'm just enjoying playing on the big stages. If I keep up this level then I stand a good chance of winning the tournament but I certainly won't be getting carried away."

"Usually my first round games are the ones where, that's the opportunity to beat me," the 29-year-old Englishman continued. "So it was nice to put in a great performance in the first round, which I don't usually do."

On Monday night, the standout tie of the entire first round is scheduled as Michael Van Gerwen takes on teenage sensation Luke Littler. "I think it's too hard to predict to be honest," Humphries previews. "If you're going to go on form, you're going to pick Luke. But you know, Michael's been at the top of his game for so long and the last 12 months haven't been the way he's wanted it. He's one of them players, he's not going to like me taking his thunder. He's not going to like Luke taking his thunder. I'm going to assure you, that he's going to come out and he's going to put in a good performance."

Humphries himself will take on the winner of the duel between Stephen Bunting and Ryan Joyce in the second round at the Winter Gardens. "Bunting has already won a major this year!" Humphries notes, disagreeing with a comment that he is on the easier side of the draw. "You've also got Dimitri van den Bergh, Martin Schindler, Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price, Ross Smith, Josh Rock... There are no easy draws in darts anymore."