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Paul Lim became the oldest player to win a match at the PDC World Championship as the 71-year-old claimed a stunning victory over Jeffrey de Graaf.<\/b><\/p>\n
Backed by a partisan crowd at the Alexandra Palace, the Singapore veteran claimed a 3-1 success over the Dutch-born Swede.<\/p>\n
He beat a record held by Northern Irishman John MaGowan, who was 67 when he knocked out Chris Mason in the first round of the tournament in December 2008.<\/p>\n
“A moment like this has kept me going for all these years,” said Lim.<\/p>\n
“The standard of play nowadays is not like how it was before. This tournament is the Super Bowl of darts so I would say this is a good moment.”<\/p>\n
Lim will face Luke Humphries in the second round after the 2024 world champion progressed with a 3-1 win over Ted Evetts in his opening match later on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n
Humphries had cruised into a 2-0 lead against his fellow Englishman before Evetts pinched a set back.<\/p>\n
However, 30-year-old Humphries regained his intensity and clinically finished out the contest with an average of 98.58, throwing eight 180s.<\/p>\n
Lim, who thew the first world championship nine-darter<\/a> at the BDO event at Lakeside in 1990, beat Humphries<\/a> when the pair last met at the Ally Pally five years ago.<\/p>\n On meeting again, Humphries told Sky Sports: “He’s amazing, he’s a legend. The crowd are going to be against me so it’s going to be a tough game.”<\/p>\n Lim said: “I hope on a given day it can happen again. I never give up. He is good but he can be beaten.”<\/p>\n The crowd roared on Lim, who is 72 next month, when he won the first set against De Graaf befofe his opponent levelled the match.<\/p>\n Lim went ahead again after a scrappy third set as De Graaf wilted while the experienced ‘Singapore Slinger’ held his nerve in a tense fourth, sealing victory with an average of 86.52.<\/p>\n Five-time world championship semi-finalist Wayne Mardle said Lim was able to “take his chances” against De Graaf to secure an “incredible” win.<\/p>\n “If you have the desire, the passion but most of all the ability humans can achieve amazing things – and that was amazing,” said Mardle on Sky.<\/p>\n De Graaf was six years old when Lim made his PDC debut 29 years ago.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Wessel Nijman of the Netherlands eased to a 3-0 win over Czech Karel Sedlacek while Germany’s Gabriel Clemens beat American Alex Spellman by the same scoreline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n