Reigning champion Rob Cross headlines World Darts Championship's opening night

Rob Cross begins the defence of his World Championship title on Thursday evening, while BDO women's world champion Lisa Ashton also features on a star-studded opening night at the Alexandra Palace.

Cross will be under intense scrutiny in the tournament's first session, as he faces a potential showdown against the dangerous Jeffrey de Zwaan. Meanwhile, Ashton also makes her PDC World Championship debut as darts' biggest-ever event kicks off in style.

Mardle's One to Watch...

I think it's going to be Jeffrey de Zwaan taking on Rob Cross in the last match of the night. I think Jeffrey beats Nitin Kumar and I think Cross gets embroiled in a five-setter with the Dutchman.

I'm not going to say who wins it because unfortunately, I've not seen that game yet...

Jeffrey de Zwaan v Nitin Kumar

Jeffrey de Zwaan takes on Indian qualifier Nitin Kumar in the tournament's curtain-raiser, for the right to take on Rob Cross later in the evening.

Since regaining his PDC Tour Card in January, De Zwaan has enjoyed the best year of his career; winning his maiden PDC Pro Tour title and most notably reaching the World Matchplay semi-finals.

De Zwaan has claimed the scalp of Michael van Gerwen in two separate PDC televised majors this year; dumping him out in round three of the UK Open and the first round at the Matchplay.

'The Black Cobra' is making just his second PDC World Championship appearance, having suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat on debut to Michael Smith in the first round back in 2016.

However, he returns to the Palace a far more mature and dangerous prospect, and is therefore a comprehensive favourite to defeat debutant Kumar.

Kumar, who featured at the 2015 World Cup of Darts, sealed his qualification after winning the Indian qualifier in Pune, but this represents the biggest challenge of his career by some distance.

Martin Schindler v Cody Harris

The second match of this year's tournament sees World Youth Finalist Martin Schindler take on New Zealand No 1 Cody Harris, for the right to play Jamie Lewis in Friday's second round.

Schindler lost out to Dimitri Van den Bergh in last month's World Youth Championship Final, but 'The Wall' will be looking to bounce back and register his first victory on the Alexandra Palace stage.

The diminutive German was beaten by Simon Whitlock on his World Championship debut 12 months ago, but he's climbed into the world's top 50 after another solid year on the Pro Tour circuit.

Cody Harris is also making his second World Championship appearance after qualifying via the Challenge Tour Order of Merit.

He won his maiden PDC title at a Challenge Tour event back in May, and having opted to relocate to the UK to play the PDC Tour this year, his dedication has been duly rewarded.

Jan Dekker v Lisa Ashton

Lisa Ashton will become just the third female player to compete at the PDC World Championship when she takes on Jan Dekker.

'The Lancashire Rose' has lifted the BDO Women's World Championship title in four of the last five years, and she stormed through qualification to seal her Ally Pally debut.

Ashton has scooped nine titles on the women's circuit this year, and she dropped just five legs across her seven qualification tussles in Milton Keynes last month.

However, she is faced with a tough proposition in the shape of Jan Dekker, the former BDO World Championship semi-finalist.

The Dutchman has failed to replicate the form that saw him make the quarter-finals of last year's Players Championship Finals, reaching the last 16 of just three ranking events this season.

Nevertheless, Dekker has a reputation for being one of the most clinical combination finishers in the game, which was evidenced in his first-round win over Jelle Klaasen 12 months ago.

Rob Cross v De Zwaan/Kumar

World champion Rob Cross rounds off the opening night, as he awaits either De Zwaan or Kumar in the second round.

'Voltage' performed magnificently last year to become the first player since Raymond van Barneveld in 2007 to win the PDC World Championship on debut.

He followed up a gripping sudden-death victory over Michael van Gerwen by dismantling Phil Taylor in the final with a 107.67 average, but the former electrician has struggled to recapture that spark over recent months.

Cross suffered first-round exits at the World Grand Prix and Players Championship Finals, having also bowed out in the last 16 stage at both the World Matchplay and Grand Slam of Darts.

However, the Hastings ace has leapfrogged Peter Wright to become world number two, and he'll be hoping that a return to the scene of last year's triumph will kick-start his resurgence.

Live World Darts Championship

You can follow every dart from every session of the World Darts Championships on Sky Sports Darts, coverage gets underway on Thursday with a live preview show from 6.30pm followed by Day One - check out the full schedule here. You can stay up to date with the action behind the scenes by following us @SkySportsDarts and getting all the latest news previews and interviews at www.skysports.com/darts