Australian Darts Masters 2025 | Day One Preview and Order of Play

The Australian Darts Masters gets under way in Wollongong on Friday as the PDC stars and Oceanic representatives go head-to-head.

The sixth event in this year’s World Series calendar features 16 players competing for £100,000 in prize money at the WIN Entertainment Centre from August 8-9.

Friday’s opening round will see the PDC superstars each face an Oceanic representative as they bid to reach Saturday’s quarter-finals.

Reigning champion Gerwyn Price kicks off the defence of his title with a tie against DPA qualifier Joe Comito – who featured in the opening match of last year’s World Championship and is vying for his first win on the World Series stage.

Second seed Price has picked up six World Series titles in total – a tally bettered only by Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen – the most recent of which coming at the Poland Darts Masters last month.

Luke Littler, a winner of three World Series titles last year including the World Series Finals, marks the start of his second trip Down Under with a clash against New Zealand’s Haupai Puha.

Littler made yet more history by becoming the youngest ever World Matchplay champion less than a fortnight ago, landing a nine-darter en route to glory in Blackpool.

The reigning World Champion, who is closing in on the world number one spot for the first time, is yet to taste success on the World Series so far this year and will be out to go one better than his runner-up spot in Wollongong 12 months ago.

World number one Luke Humphries, meanwhile, launches his quest for a second World Series title of the campaign with a showdown against DPNZ qualifier Jonny Tata.

Humphries triumphed at the US Darts Masters in New York in June to double his World Series tally following last year’s New Zealand Masters success.

The reigning World Masters and Premier League champion returns to action for the first time since his first round exit to Gian van Veen at the World Matchplay and will be targeting a strong response.

World Cup of Darts champion Josh Rock marks his World Series debut with a clash against Aussie icon Simon Whitlock.

Rock, who partnered Daryl Gurney to World Cup glory for Northern Ireland, continued his blistering run of form by reaching the semi-finals of the World Matchplay, eventually losing out to Littler 17-14 in an epic contest despite an average of 104.

Players Championship event winner earlier this year, Rock comes up against 2022 World Cup winner Whitlock – Australia’s most successful darting export who is not short of World Series experience dating back over a decade.

Mike De Decker is also making his World Series debut Down Under and opens up against DPA qualifier Brandon Weening.

World Grand Prix champion De Decker finished runner-up in this year’s Belgian Open and will be out to grasp his opportunity here and set up a potential quarter-final encounter with Humphries.

World Series specialist Stephen Bunting starts out against debutant Brody Klinge – winner of the 2024 WDF Australian Masters.

Bunting is the number one seed in the draw having picked up two World Series titles this year, as well as reaching a further two finals.

The Bahrain Masters and Nordic Masters champion has reached the final in four of his five World Series outings this year, with the only blemish coming at the US Masters – where he suffered a shock first round defeat to Jason Brandon.

Aussie number one Damon Heta aims to avoid a potential scalp at the hands of his fellow countryman James Bailey, while former Masters champion and World Championship semi-finalist Chris Dobey faces the returning Tim Pusey.

The action gets under way from 10am BST (7pm local time), with First Round matches to be contested over the best of 11 legs.

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Australian Darts Masters 2025 Day One Schedule

All times BST (local time +9 hours)

Friday August 8

First Round

10am-2pm
Mike De Decker v Brandon Weening
Gerwyn Price v Joe Comito
Stephen Bunting v Brody Klinge
Luke Humphries v Jonny Tata
Damon Heta v James Bailey
Luke Littler v Haupai Puha
Josh Rock v Simon Whitlock
Chris Dobey v Tim Pusey