Heydon faces world champion in Ally Pally opener

The 41-year-old from Lillington had been drawn to face current world champion Adrian Lewis in the first round of the £1 million tournament, with their encounter set to take place on the opening night.

Lewis, who hit an historic nine-dart finish on his way to victory over Gary Anderson in January’s final, says Heydon has to be respected.

“It’s a tough game but I’m looking forward to it,” said the 26-year-old.

“Nigel’s had a great year and he did really well in the Grand Slam recently, so I’ve got to make sure I’m ready to go.

“It’s going to be a great honour going back to Alexandra Palace as reigning champion but I don’t want to let the trophy go either.”

Steve Beaton, who achieved his best Pro Tour result of the year with a semi-final appearance at Saturday’s Players’ Championship in Wigan, has been drawn against Sweden’s Magnus Caris.

Phil Taylor will begin his quest for a 16th world title with a first-round clash against either Japan’s Haruki Muramatsu or Sweden’s Dennis Nilsson.