World number two Luke Humphries has been eliminated from the 2026 World Matchplay in a shock first-round exit, falling 10-7 to Scotland’s Cameron Menzies on Monday. Humphries, a former world champion, struggled early in the match, losing his first six legs on throw before mounting a late comeback attempt that fell short.
The defining moment of the match came in the final leg, where Menzies secured his victory with a clinical 170 checkout—the highest possible finish in darts, colloquially known as the ‘big fish’. For Menzies, ranked 27th in the world, the result marks a career-defining win. He described the victory as one he will “take to his grave,” becoming only the second unseeded player to progress in this year’s tournament.
Humphries arrived at the competition following a strong run of form, including a June victory over Luke Littler at the US Darts Masters. Despite the disappointment, Humphries managed to narrow the gap to 8-7 during the match, but was ultimately unable to halt the momentum established by the Scotsman.
Elsewhere at the tournament, 15th seed Ross Smith advanced after a 10-6 victory over Kevin Doets, setting up a second-round clash with Menzies on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Gerwyn Price survived an intense challenge from Germany’s Martin Schindler, eventually winning 11-9 after trailing 6-2 earlier in the contest.