Unsurprisingly, Dragutin Horvat's World Darts Championship debut in London fell flat, losing 0-3 to Belgian underdog Mike De Decker. The 47-year-old Hessian, making a comeback to the prestigious tournament after a four-year hiatus, struggled to find his form, plagued by numerous errors and inconsistent play.
With a boisterous crowd of 3,000 spectators, including former soccer pro Peter Crouch, Horvat failed to break the ice. De Decker's subpar performance still proved enough to send the German packing. Meanwhile, Florian Hempel from Cologne gave Germany a much-needed boost by defeating Irishman Dylan Slevin 3-1 in the subsequent match.
Steve Beaton, the 'Bronzed Adonis,' cruised to a 3-1 victory against Dutch opponent Wessel Nijman in the evening's first match. Ranked 86th in the world, Beaton will now face Daryl Gurney from Northern Ireland in the next round.
The fates of World Darts Championship competitors fluctuate as the tournament progresses, and Horvat's PDC World Rankings took a hit following his early exit. American Michael van Gerwen remains atop the rankings, while Germany's Horvat slid down to 175th place.
Extra tidbits: Luke Humphries and Luke Littler hold the 1st and 2nd spots in the rankings, respectively, with outstanding earnings of £1,804,250 and £1,118,500, respectively.
Enrichment data reveals Yeasin Ahmad Khandoker from Bangladesh, ranked at 394th with earnings of £170, was the World Darts Championship's lowest-ranked participant.
