Luke Humphries proved too strong for 71-year-old Paul Lim as the 2024 champion comfortably reached the third round of the PDC World Championship.
Humphreys was in very poor form in the first two sets and won all of the first eight legs played, before Lim produced the biggest excitement of the night by taking the double top at Alexandra Palace in what would be her only leg of the competition.
Before the match, the world number two had described Lim as a “legend” and said her World Championship defeat to the Singaporean legend in December 2020 was a turning point in her career.
Their mutual respect was shown when the pair shook hands warmly after Lim’s successful shot at the double, and then once Humphries won a major, Humphries admitted that he was “delighted” that Lim was able to win a leg.
The 30-year-old Englishman, who will next play Germany’s Gabriel Clemence, told Sky Sports: “Against someone you really like and you’re 6-0 up, it’s tough to be honest because you don’t want to destroy people all the time. There are some players you want, but there are some players you don’t want and he’s a player you don’t want.”
“It was a game I had to win, that was the most important thing and I put myself in a good position after the first two sets.
“He (Lim) is just a legend, I love him so much and I hope this is not the last time we see him on this stage.”
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