Man Lok Leung dumps out Danny Noppert at the Saudi Arabia Darts Masters as Price powers through

Man Lok Leung dumped out Danny Noppert in the opening round of the inaugural Saudi Arabia Darts Masters in Riyadh on Monday.

The landmark new World Series event saw seven of the PDC stars safely progress to the quarter-finals, but a below-par Noppert was sent packing by an inspired Leung.

Leung, aided by an 11-darter in the opening leg, surged into a 3-0 lead, before staving off a mid-match revival from the Dutchman to seal a 6-3 victory.

“I am very happy to play my game on the stage,” said World Cup star Leung.

“It is my first win in the first match [in Saudi Arabia], so this is a big win for me.”

Gerwyn Price, meanwhile, produced a sensational 170 checkout and registered a 100.2 average on his way to a 6-0 demolition of Alexis Toylo.

Price converted six doubles from ten attempts in a dominant display, affording his opponent zero darts at a double in the process.

“It was a slow start, but after the 170 finish, I felt like I was starting to find my feet,” said Price.

“I want to hit the ground running at the beginning of the season and win here for the first time, and I’m definitely after that nine-darter as well!”

Price will meet Luke Humphries in the quarter-finals, after the world number two made a sprint for the finish to wrap up a 6-2 win over Japan’s Ryusei Azemoto.

The opening four legs were shared before Humphries produced crucial finishes of 78 and 66 on his way to reeling off four straight legs to seal the deal.

“It’s mixed emotions for me. I struggled getting that first dart in the right place, but it’s a decent start,” admitted Humphries.

“Everybody wants to be the first player to win this title. It’s an exciting tournament and hopefully I can be the first player to put my name on it.”

Aspinall eased through to the quarter-finals with a 6-1 rout of PDC Asian champion Lourence Ilagan, averaging 100.9 in the process.

Monday’s action also saw Michael van Gerwen begin his bid for back-to-back World Series titles with a comprehensive 6-1 victory over Indian trailblazer Nitin Kumar.

The three-time World Champion triumphed in Bahrain on Friday and continued his winning run at the Global Theater, converting 74, 92 and 102 finishes to cap off a clinical display.

Stephen Bunting also advanced by the same scoreline, dispatching two-time World Championship qualifier Tomoya Goto to set up a Last Eight showdown against the Dutch superstar.

Elsewhere, Luke Littler and Gian van Veen safely overcame Paul Lim and Motomu Sakai respectively to set up a fascinating quarter-final clash in a repeat of the recent World Championship final.

Littler – pitted against darting icon Lim for the second successive World Series event – defeated the 71-year-old 6-1 in Bahrain, before repeating the feat in Riyadh to open his title bid.

“This is all new to us players, but I felt good up there tonight,” said Littler, despite averaging just 89 and failing to land a single maximum.

“It would mean everything to win the first event over here. There can only be one winner, and hopefully I can do it tomorrow.”

Van Veen – runner-up to Van Gerwen in Bahrain last week – defied a mid-game rally from Sakai to seal a dominant 6-2 win, reeling off three consecutive legs to maintain his impressive form.

Saudi Arabia Darts Masters 2026 Day One Results

Monday January 19

First Round

Danny Noppert 3-6 Man Lok Leung
Stephen Bunting 6-1 Tomoya Goto
Nathan Aspinall 6-1 Lourence Ilagan
Michael van Gerwen 6-1 Nitin Kumar
Luke Littler 6-1 Paul Lim
Gerwyn Price 6-0 Alexis Toylo
Luke Humphries 6-2 Ryusei Azemoto
Gian van Veen 6-2 Motomu Sakai