Fans baffled by Luke Humphries performance as world champion is whitewashed in shock upset

World number one Luke Humphries suffered a whitewash defeat at the Players Championship 1 event in Wigan on Monday – and fans are in shock at the result.

The 29-year-old, who lifted last month's World Darts Championship title after beating teenage sensation Luke Littler, came up against White on the opening day of this year's PDC ProTour season.

And the Newbury-born thrower struggled throughout. In fact, he recorded an average of just 81.4 as world number 64 White romped to a 6-0 win at the Robin Park Tennis Centre.

'Diamond' himself recorded a very respectable average of 98 to cruise into the third round but Humphries' lacklustre display was one of the biggest talking points on day one of the event.

You can watch White's checkout to win the match below.

DIAMOND WHITEWASHES HUMPHRIES! 😱

Ian White completes a 6-0 demolition of World Champion Luke Humphries!

Who saw that coming?! 🤯

📺 https://t.co/YyBPPwoMK8
📋 https://t.co/hsoUOS5MXu#PC1 pic.twitter.com/Wlj5jXwnwN

— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 12, 2024

Here's how fans on social media reacted to Humphries' second round defeat.

One said: "Post-World Championships hangover once again for last year's winner. I'm sure Humphries will return to form soon enough," while another wrote: "Crazy start to the Players Championship season."

A third commented: "There’s some mental results on this tour every single time. Motivation not as high when not a televised event?"

A fourth said: "Probably be the most random result on the circuit this year," and a fifth added: "He’s looking very tired Luke Humphries. Looks like he needs a rest."

It has been a quite remarkable start to the PDC ProTour for a handful of players, including Luke Littler.

After beating Jim Williams 6-1 in the opening round, Littler recorded a 6-3 win over Luke Woodhouse before setting up a round of 32 meeting with Michele Turetta.

The 17-year-old soon raced into a 5-1 lead against the Italian before sealing the win with another nine-darter.

In fact, Littler was the third man to achieve the feat on day one of the Players Championship – with Leighton Bennett and Mickey Mansell also hitting nine-darters in Wigan.