William O'Connor returns to the Alexandra Palace stage for his latest PDC World Darts Championship title bid but the 2025 event presents a new challenge for the experienced Limerick man.
Known as 'The Magpie', O'Connor will take on a compatriot at the event for the first time when he does battle with Tipperary's Dylan Slevin.
Slevin, just 22-years-old, will be making just his second appearance in the competition having made his way through the PDC Tour Card Holder Qualifier, a tricky task given the sheer size of the field.
Slevin threw some impressive arrows when he fell to a 3-1 defeat against Florian Hempel on debut 12 months ago, popping in a 167 finish during the bout.
He will be aware of the challenge against his fellow Irishman, who has been the leading player from south of the border for over a decade.
A winner on the PDC Pro Tour in the past, O'Connor has a solid resume which has seen him make a run to the final of the World Cup of Darts back in 2019.
He made the semi-finals of the UK Open in 2022 and has also reached multiple finals on the European Tour.
His record as a PDC professional will command respect from Slevin, however one other statistic is sure to stand him in good stead going into their clash.
William O'Connor holds impressive World Darts Championship record
O'Connor has been an ever-present since making his debut in the 2018 iteration of the worlds but his record from 2019 onwards stands out in particular.
The 2019 Championship saw the field expand into its current guise, with an extra 32 players increasing the amount of contenders from 64 to 96.
The new format meant that players inside the coveted top 32 in the rankings would receive a bye into round two as seeds, with the other 64 qualifiers battling one another in round one.
O'Connor has been a regular, featuring in six first round clashes since the 2019 tournament. Friday's bout with Slevin will be his seventh, and his previous record is virtually spotless.
Since whitewashing Yordi Meeuwisse in round one back in 2019, he has won a further five first round matches.
He is the only player in history to boast a 100% record in the first round of the expanded World Championship since the format was amended.
He has picked up wins over Marko Kantele, Niels Zonneveld, Danny Lauby Jr, Beau Greaves and Bhav Patel since that victory against Meeuwisse.
O'Connor will be looking to add his friend Slevin to that list when they battle it out on Friday evening, with the match scheduled to commence around 9pm.
The winner of the match will take on reigning UK Open champion Dimitri van den Bergh in the second round on the night of Sunday, December 22.
