Preview Friday Australian Darts Masters: Littler, Price and Humphries in action

Stephen Bunting v Brody Klinge

Next in action is the current No. 1 on the World Series Order of Merit: Stephen Bunting. 'The Bullet' will take on a rookie named Brody Klinge. Bunting has been very successful at the World Series so far with final wins at both the Bahrain Darts Masters and the Nordic Darts Masters. The Englishman does make his debut Down Under, so it remains to be seen how he deals with the circumstances, such as the time difference. However, in Klinge, Bunting meets an opponent making his debut on TV, making him by far the favorite on paper to reach the second round on Saturday.

Luke Humphries v Jonny Tata

In the fourth match, the current No. 1 in the world will be in action as Luke Humphries takes on New Zealander Jonny Tata. Humphries makes only his second appearance in Australia after making his debut last year. Then he was surprisingly eliminated 6-2 in the second round by Dimitri van den Bergh. 'Cool Hand Luke' will want to take revenge this year and claim the title in Wollongong for the first time in his career. Jonny Tata will make his debut at the Australian Darts Masters. The 32-year-old still managed to reach the quarterfinals at Lakeside in 2023 during the WDF World Darts Championship, but will normally face the 2024 world champion.

Player Details: Luke Humphries

Damon Heta v James Bailey

The fifth match of the evening sees an all-Australian affair between Damon Heta and James Bailey. Damon Heta returns to his home country for the third time for the Australian Darts Masters. His previous participations have been shaky. On his debut in 2023, he managed to reach the final immediately, which he did eventually lose 8-1 to Jonny Clayton. Last year, however, he was eliminated in the second round by eventual winner Gerwyn Price. With the 55-year-old Bailey, 'The Heat' meets an opponent he should normally be able to handle. Bailey managed to reach the PDC World Cup twice in 2019 and 2021, but is mainly active on the PDC Australian Tour.

Luke Littler v Haupai Puha

On paper, this is perhaps the match that could be the closest, despite the fact that the current world champion is in action. Luke Littler meets Haupai Puha, the only player who is currently still successfully active within the PDC. Littler reached the final last year, but was defeated by Gerwyn Price. The 18-year-old, however, will be eager for revenge and the title on his second appearance Down Under. Making his third appearance in Australia, Puha will be hoping to reach the second round for the first time. Last year, "Hopes" came close, but ultimately lost narrowly 6-5 to Rob Cross.

Josh Rock v Simon Whitlock

In addition to the above match, this is also definitely one of the matches to look forward to. Josh Rock takes on Australian legend Simon Whitlock. Rock is currently playing at the top of his game and is a very dangerous outsider for the title. But it also remains his debut in Oceania, something that does not come easily to everyone. And despite the fact that Simon Whitlock may no longer be at the level of his glory years, 'The Wizard' remains a player one should certainly not underestimate in advance. At the recent World Cup of Darts the now 56-year-old regularly showed his class with a number of great finishes and together with Damon Heta he managed to reach the quarterfinals. There they went down 8-7 despite a 5-7 lead. Should Whitlock find his game of the World Cup, this could become even more exciting than expected.

Chris Dobey v Tim Pusey

The first round concludes with a match between Chris Dobey and Tim Pusey. For both Dobey and Pusey this means their debut at the Australian Darts Masters. 'Hollywood' has played four World Series tournaments so far, but has never managed to advance beyond the second round. The Englishman will be hoping to break this in Wollongong. Pusey has only been active on the PDC Australian Tour, where he did manage to win one tournament this year in Adelaide. Dobey will be the favorite on paper, but will hope that if he survives this first hurdle he can also finally advance in the tournament.

Schedule Friday at Australian Darts Masters: