Dave Chisnall made a strong start to his World Championship campaign with a 3-0 win over Fallon Sherrock at Alexandra Palace.
The St Helens thrower was clinical when it mattered to book his Second Round spot.
Sherrock, known as the ‘Queen of the Palace’ after her breakthrough at the 2020 Championships, struggled on her doubles and was left to rue missed opportunities.
She converted just three of her 23 attempts, a 13% success rate that proved costly.
Chisnall had fewer attempts but was far more effective, converting nine of his 19 attempts.
A standout 160 checkout in the second set suggested Chisnall was back to his best.
A nervy final set saw Sherrock threaten a comeback from two legs down, but Chisnall remained composed.
A double seven finish was enough to dethrone the Queen.
The victory comes at an important time for the 45-year-old, who has endured a difficult year.
Chisnall was happy to win but was quick to offer an honest assessment of his performance.
“I’m not proud of my performance but proud of the win,” said Chisnall.
“It’s been a long time since I won on TV.
“Sometimes (on TV) I play really well but got beat by the better player and today I was a bit sluggish, she missed doubles and I won.”
The former world number 3 has slipped down to 21st in the rankings over the past 12 months but admits he doesn’t care about the numbers.
“No, I don’t look at rankings,” he said.
“I’m having a bad run this year so that’s why I’ve dropped down and the money’s come off. If I had a good run, I’d still be right up there.
“That’s how darts goes sometimes.”
For Sherrock, that marks her fifth consecutive first round knockout at the Palace.
Chisnall does not have to wait long to play on stage again as he takes on Ricardo Pietreczko on Saturday afternoon.
He will be looking to go beyond last year’s efforts after he fell at the second hurdle in one of the games of the tournament against Ricky Evans.
(Featured image provided by Sven Mandel)
