World Darts Championship: Hong Kong’s Leung has adventure ended by Clemens, teen-star Littler continues dream tournament
- Hugo Leung falls at second hurdle at Alexandra Palace, beaten in four sets by former semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens
- Rising English star Luke Littler sprang a second huge surprise of the week, toppling UK Open champion Andrew Gilding to reach round three
Hugo Leung Man-lok’s World Darts Championship adventure has been ended in round two by crowd favourite and last year’s semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens.
The Hongkonger stunned Dutchman Gian van Veen in the opening round, but Clemens proved a challenge too far, despite a spirited effort from the 24-year-old tournament debutant.
Clemens claimed the opening two sets, before Leung reeled off three straight legs, featuring four maximum 180s, to bag set three and raise the possibility of a repeat of his win from 2-0 down over van Veen.
But German world No 22 Clemens responded in kind, completing a 14-dart leg to lay the platform for a fourth-set whitewash and 3-1 victory.
“This is a big win for me, Hugo played an amazing first round and had a good game today,” Clemens, who next faces 2021 semi-finalist Dave Chisnall, said. “But my finishing was good in the important moments.”
Leung, a three-times winner on the PDC Asian Tour in 2023, had admitted surprising even himself by overcoming van Veen in round one.