December 17, 2023
Updated 6 hours ago
Fallon Sherrock fell at the first hurdle of the 2024 PDC World Championship when she was knocked out by Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena.
The 29-year-old Sherrock was beaten 3-1 in the first round despite winning the first set in front of a loud crowd.
Wattimena missed the match dart to give Sherrock a lead, but the Englishwoman failed to capitalize and failed to force a decider.
The 35-year-old Wattimena will next face Germany's Martin Schindler.
“I’m disappointed with the result,” Sherrock said. “I had periods where I played well tonight, but in crucial moments I missed opportunities and that cost me.”
“Full credit goes to Jermaine, he was the better player that night and he punished me when I missed opportunities.”
Also on Sunday, 28-year-old tournament favorite Luke Humphries secured a straight sets win over his former pairs partner Lee Evans in round two.
Third seed Humphries won 3-0 after the 35-year-old Evans failed to win the third set and missed opportunities with a 2-0 lead.
“I wasn’t at my best there, but the most important thing was that it felt good,” Humphries told Sky Sports.
He and Michael van Gerwen are widely considered the two leading candidates for the title.
“I've said in previous interviews that you should just get through the first game,” Humphries added. “They are always the toughest. I won’t play like that in the next round.”
As Humphries marched on, Sherrock couldn't help but think about what might have been.
Sherrock made history in 2019 when she became the first player to win a match at the PDC World Championship.
But Sunday's turning point came in the third set when Sherrock was eliminated while aiming for double eight, to the shock of fans gathered at Alexandra Palace.
World number 51 Wattimena then stepped up and scored a superb 110 checkout to take the leg and punish the home favorite.
Sherrock finished with an average of 87.32 compared to Wattimena's 90.99.
“It was a really powerful game,” said Wattimena. “I feel good now. It was tough to win against them.”
Ricky Evans 3-0 Simon Adams (R1)
Jim Williams 3-0 Norman Madhoo (R1)
Matt Campbell 3-2 Lawrence Ilagan (R1)
Joe Cullen 3-0 Darren Penhall (R2)
Florian Hempel 3-1 Dylan Slevin (R1)
Niels Zonneveld 3-1 Darren Webster (R1)
Jermaine Wattimena 3-1 Fallon Sherrock (R1)
Luke Humphries 3-0 Lee Evans (R2)
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