The 2025 World Series of DartsFinals kicked off on Friday, with multiple big names competing on Day 1 in the first round.
Stars like Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock are just a few of the notable names who took the stage on Friday.
Wattimena vs. Doets: Despite having four darts at a double to win the game, Jermaine Wattimena couldn't execute. Kevin Doets is the first player to advance to the second round.
Ratajski vs. Rock: One of darts' best players right now, Josh Rock, found a win in a game that was closer at times than he probably would have wanted it to be. He's advanced, knocking out Krzysztof Ratajski in the first round.
Heta vs. Cullen: Australia's number one, Damon Heta, had very few issues against Joe Cullen, picking up a 6-1 win over 'The Rockstar.'
De Decker vs. Clemens: Mike De Decker was able to defeat Gabriel Clemens, 6-3, to advance to round two. Clemens notably went eight darts into a nine-darter during the game, before missing the double.
Humphries vs. Wade: Luke Humphries and James Wade's first-round game took all 11 legs to decide a winner, with both players getting match darts at points. In the end, Humphries came out on top to defeat Wade 6-5.
van Gerwen vs. Nijman: The game of the night to this point was between Michael van Gerwen and Wessel Nijman. Both players were playing in front of their home crowd, but the Dutch legend, van Gerwen, had the extra spark to beat Nijman in a 6-5 win.
Bunting vs. Noppert: It was a rough day for the number one seed, Stephen Bunting, as he was eliminated by Danny Noppert in a 6-4 defeat.
Cross vs. Puha: To finish off the day, Rob Cross picked up a 6-3 win over New Zealand's Haupai Puha.
2025 World Series of Darts Finals day 1/first round schedule
Here's the schedule of play for Day 1.
MORE: 2025 World Series of Darts Finals: Draw, schedule, prize money and format explained
First round (Day 1 evening session)
| Match | Date | Time (local) | Score |
| Kevin Doets vs. Jermaine Wattimena | Fri., Sept. 12 | 7:00 p.m. | 6-5 |
| Krzysztof Ratajski vs. Josh Rock | Fri., Sept. 12 | 7:30 p.m. | 3-6 |
| Damon Heta vs. Joe Cullen | Fri., Sept. 12 | 8:00 p.m. | 6-1 |
| Mike De Decker vs. Gabriel Clemens | Fri., Sept. 12 | 8:30 p.m. | 6-3 |
| Luke Humphries vs. James Wade | Fri., Sept. 12 | 9:00 p.m. | 6-5 |
| Wessel Nijman vs. Michael van Gerwen | Fri., Sept. 12 | 9:30 p.m. | 5-6 |
| Stephen Bunting vs. Danny Noppert | Fri., Sept. 12 | 10:00 p.m. | 4-6 |
| Rob Cross vs. Haupai Puha | Fri., Sept. 12 | 10:30 p.m. | 6-3 |
MORE: 2025 PDC World Series of Darts Finals predictions: Humphries and Littler out of the mix?
Tournament bracket
Here are the matchups for the tournament after the first round.
Second round
| Match | Date |
| Noppert vs. Rock | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| De Decker vs. Heta | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| Humphries vs. Doets | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| Cross vs. van Gerwen | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| Littler/Whitlock vs. Clayton/Brandon | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| Aspinall/Chisnall vs. Tata/Smith | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| Price/Lauby vs. Dekker/van Barneveld | Sat., Sept. 13 |
| Dobey/Woodhouse vs. Menzies/Wright | Sat., Sept. 13 |
MORE DARTS ARTICLES:
- When does Luke Littler play at first round of 2025 PDC World Series of Darts Finals?
- 2025 PDC World Series of Darts Finals qualifiers announced
- Best PDC players not playing at 2025 World Series of Darts Finals
- What PDC darts events/tournaments are happening in September?
- Every darts player who's qualified for the 2026 PDC World Championship so far
- Predicting the PDC 2026 Premier League of Darts lineup