Live Darts tonight | Winmau World Masters Day Two Preview and Order of Play
The First Round action continues at the Winmau World Masters on Friday with a further eight quick-fire ties in Milton Keynes.
Day One of the revamped major saw former World Champions Rob Cross and Michael Smith among the notable early casualties at the Marshall Arena.
A host of big names will be out to avoid suffering a similar fate over the unforgiving short format, including reigning World Champion Luke Littler when he faces Belgian qualifier Andy Baetens.
Littler, who claimed a crowning glory at Ally Pally at the beginning of the month, was beaten in the quarter-finals of the Bahrain Masters and semi-finals of the Dutch Masters and will be determined to become the first name on this new trophy.
The 18-year-old starts the season as world number two, having also claimed the Grand Slam title last year as well as two European Tours and three Players Championships.
Baetens, the 2023 WDF World Champion, endured a difficult start to life as a PDC Tour Card holder in 2024 but began this season in style by defeating Jose De Sousa, Martin Lukeman and Darius Labanauskas in Wednesday’s Preliminary Rounds to clinch qualification.
Michael van Gerwen, whose first major title came at the Winmau World Masters under the BDO back in 2006, starts out against qualifier Bradley Brooks.
Van Gerwen became the youngest winner of the Winmau World Masters aged 17 when he defeated Martin Adams in the final, and the rest is history for the Dutch sensation – who was gone on to become one of the sport’s global icons.
Mighty Mike picked up the PDC Masters title on five occasions and recaptured his best form at the recent World Championship, with only Littler denying him in the final.
Brooks, meanwhile, has enjoyed a remarkable start to 2025, racking up a record points tally at UK Qualifying School to regain a Tour Card, before storming through Wednesday’s Preliminary Rounds with wins over the likes of Ian White, Cam Crabtree and Krzysztof Ratajski.
The opening match of the night sees reigning World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker up against former PDC Masters winner James Wade.
De Decker enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2024, scooping his first major title in the double-start event in Leicester, only to miss out on a place in this year’s Premier League, much to his exasperation.
Wade, who came from 10-6 down to defeat Mervyn King 11-10 in the 2014 PDC Masters final, reached the semi-finals of last year’s World Matchplay and starts the season as world number 15.
The ten-time major winner competed in the original Winmau World Masters in the early years of his career and will be determined to add to his haul of major silverware this season.
Gary Anderson, quarter-finalist in the Winmau World Masters back in 2003 and 2005, starts out against reigning UK Open champion Dimitri van den Bergh.
Anderson reached the semi-finals of the Grand Slam last season, while also securing two Players Championship titles and the European Darts Grand Prix title.
As well as clinching his second major silverware in 2024, Van den Bergh also made the semis of The Masters and the World Grand Prix and is pushing for a return to the world’s top 16.
Former PDC Masters champion Chris Dobey takes on former Players Championship Finals runner-up Ryan Searle in another tasty tie.
Dobey’s maiden major title came at this venue two years ago, and the Bedlington ace stormed to three ProTour titles last year, while also reaching the semi-finals of the World Championship to secure a return to the Premier League line-up.
Searle was runner-up in last year’s Swiss Darts Trophy, squandering seven darts for the title, but failed to surpass the Last 16 stage of a televised ranking tournament, with much of his success coming on the ProTour.
Jonny Clayton, whose first PDC major title came at The Masters in 2021, faces German number one Martin Schindler.
Clayton reached just one televised ranking quarter-final last season, but did pick up a ProTour title and reach the final of the Dutch Darts Championship.
Schindler stormed to two European Tour titles during a landmark 2024 campaign, but his season ultimately ended in disappointment with a straight sets defeat to Callan Rydz in the Last 64 of the World Championship.
Two-time major champion Nathan Aspinall starts out with a clash against former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding.
Aspinall is preparing for his Premier League return next Thursday but suffered a fresh injury setback during the recent Bahrain Masters and was thrashed 6-1 by Kevin Doets in last week’s Dutch Masters.
Gilding secured an automatic spot in the televised stages as world number 20, having reached the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay last year, as well as the Third Round of the World Championship – where he was whitewashed 4-0 by Aspinall.
World number six Dave Chisnall gets his season under way with a showdown against enigmatic Scotsman Cameron Menzies.
Chisnall, twice a PDC Masters runner-up, claimed a brace of European Tour and Players Championship titles in 2024 but has fallen at the first hurdle in four of his last six televised ranking tournament appearances.
Menzies’ landmark 2024 saw him secure a maiden PDC ranking title on the ProTour and reach the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam, though his season ended in a heart-breaking First Round exit to Leonard Gates at Ally Pally.
Menzies, who now resides in Milton Keynes, saw off Berry van Peer, Ricky Evans and Gian van Veen in Wednesday’s qualifiers to clinch a place in the main event.
The action gets under way from 7pm GMT, with First Round ties to be contested over the best of five sets, best of three legs per set.
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Winmau World Masters 2025 Day Two Schedule
Friday January 31
First Round
7pm-11pm
James Wade v Mike De Decker
Dave Chisnall v Cameron Menzies
Jonny Clayton v Martin Schindler
Nathan Aspinall v Andrew Gilding
Chris Dobey v Ryan Searle
Luke Littler v Andy Baetens
Michael van Gerwen v Bradley Brooks
Gary Anderson v Dimitri Van den Bergh
