Luke Littler defeated Ricardo Pietrezko in the Players Championship final on Saturday night to advance to the quarterfinals.
Littler, the new world No. 1, defeated German star Pietrezko 10-6 in a back-and-forth battle, averaging 102.67 points and on track to win every major in the sport.
Last year’s runner-up found himself in a tight spot with a 5-5 deficit, but he stepped on the gas and won four of the next five legs, posting an incredible 121 with the help of two bullseyes on his way to victory.
“Obviously you’re never happy when you’re losing. When we were down 3-2 and then we got back up to 5-5 so we just had to kick from there,” Littler told ITV4.
“I knew there would be no more breaks. I stayed (on stage) until the end and managed to get the job done. Tonight’s doubles wasn’t my best, but I can improve again tomorrow afternoon.”
3rd round results
main stage
Gerwyn Price 10-6 Martin Schindler Nathan Aspinall 10-8 Danny Knoppert Luke Littler 10-6 Ricardo Pitleczko Josh Locke 10-8 Krzysztof Ratajski
stage 2
Darryl Gurney 10-9 Adam Lipscomb James Wade 10-6 Andrew Gilding Jermaine Wattimena 10-8 Ryan Searle Chris Dobie 10-5 James Harrell
Littler, who will face Chris Dovey in the quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon, added: “This is one of the titles I haven’t won yet. We all know that. I’m definitely going after it tomorrow.”
‘Hollywood’ defeated surprise package James Harrell 10-5 to advance to the final eight for the first time since 2019.
Littler had previously averaged a whopping 107 against Ross Smith, averaging 102 and posting a checkout of 157, winning 6-3 and advancing to round three.
The teenager hit four 180s against Pietrecko and a high checkout of 121 earned him a spot in the last 16.
The German brought down “Flying Scotsman” Gary Anderson and wasted five shots in this match, giving “Pikachu” a 6-5 victory thanks to a 116 checkout.
Anderson, 54, competed at Minehead while battling illness, but cast big doubts on his ability to return to his best for this year’s World Championships at Alexandra Palace. “At this moment in my life, I don’t have time to play darts. There’s so much I want to do in darts. It’s as simple as that.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Can Gary Anderson turn back the clock? Check out the best moments from his epic showdown with Littler in the semi-finals of last year’s Grand Slam of Darts.
Here, 2018 champion Darryl Gurney outlasted 10 darts from surprise contender Adam Lipscomb to land 11 darts in the deciding leg for a stunning 10-9 win and a blockbuster match against Gerwyn Price.
The No. 1 seed won in a landslide with a checkout of 161, defeating German No. 1 seed Martin Schindler 10-6 in six of the last seven legs.
Price said he was preparing for a tough showdown with Gurney after a tense exchange at the World Matchplay in Blackpool in July.
“I’ve got my boxing gloves ready so I’m ready for him,” the world No. 10 said.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Things between Price and Gurney turned sour after the Northern Irishman copied his rival’s celebration during World Match Play, and the pair clashed at the end of the contest…
Gurney is the only former champion remaining in the field after 2021 winner Peter Wright lost 6-4 at the hands of James Wade earlier in the day.
The Scot, who took on Joe Cullen in the first round of the World Masters in January for his first win since the televised match, hit back at his doubters as he hopes to rediscover his best form in time for the World Championships.
“I love to prove people wrong. A lot of people told me I should give up, yes they might be right, but inside here I’m not done yet,” said Wright, a two-time world champion.
Wade followed up his earlier win over former world champion Wright with a 10-6 victory over “Goldfinger” Andrew Gilding.
Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena defeated Ryan Saar 10-8 to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament for the first time.
Josh Lock crushed Scott Williams and defeated Krzysztof Ratajski on the night
Josh Locke crushed Scott Williams 6-0 in just 10 minutes, finishing with over four tons and averaging over 107. But it was “Shaggy” who stole the show with his Star Wars dart case while singing along to K-Pop Demon Hunter during his walk-on.
The Northern Irishman then trailed 8-2, but ultimately won 10-8 over Krzysztof Ratajski, setting up a matchup with Nathan Aspinall.
Aspinall held off Dutchman Danny Knoppert 10-8, with both players hitting six in the 180s.
Sunday, November 23rd
Afternoon session (12:45pm)
Quarterfinals – 1st leg to 10th leg
Gerwyn Price vs Darryl Gurney Luke Littler vs Chris Dobey Nathan Aspinall vs Josh Lock James Wade vs Jermaine Wattimena
Evening session (7pm)
Semi-finals – 1st leg to 11th leg
Price/Gurney vs Littler/Dobie Aspinall/Rock vs Wade/Watimena
Winmaw World Youth Championship Finals (approx. 9pm)
Beau Greaves vs Jan Van Veen First to Six Legs
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Jan van Veen beats Luke Humphries 11-10 in dramatic European Championship final to win first major trophy of his career
Jan van Veen, who defeated defending champion Luke Humphries in the opening round to claim the title, wasted a 5-3 lead and two darts before suffering a dramatic 6-5 loss to Polish No. 1 Krzysztof Ratajski.
The new European champions are currently blocking all talk about Sunday night’s drool-worthy World Youth final against Beau Greaves.
“I’m not thinking about the match with Bo,” he said.
2nd round results
main stage
Darryl Gurney 6-4 Stephen Bunting James Wade 6-4 Peter Wright Nathan Aspinall 6-0 Richard Veenstra Gerwyn Price 6-1 Sebastian Bialecki Luke Littler 6-3 Ross Smith Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Jan van Veen Josh Locke 6-0 Scott Williams Danny Knoppert 6-1 Madas Razma
stage 2
James Harrell 6-1 Luke Woodhouse Adam Lipcomb 6-2 Bradley Brooks Ryan Searle 6-5 Callan Rymes Jermaine Wattimena 6-2 Ryan Joyce Martin Schindler 6-4 Nick Kenny Ricardo Pietrecko 6-5 Gary Anderson Andrew Gilding 6-5 Justin Hood Chris Dobie 6-5 Cam Crabtree
Whitlock qualified for Alexandra Palace
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Simon ‘The Wizard’ Whitlock evokes a magical moment with a 150 triple bull finish against Daniel Larsson at the 2022 Dutch Darts Championship (Video courtesy of PDC)
Simon Whitlock will return to the Paddy Power World Darts Championship after winning the 2025 Double Darts ANZ Premier League in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Australian icon defeated Raymond Smith 10-7 in the final at Nissan Arena to earn $30,000 in prize money, but more importantly a place at Alexandra Palace next month.
The former world championship runner-up was full of emotion after the match as he missed out on last year’s world championships, ending his 15-year streak of appearances at Ally Pally.
“It means the world to me,” Whitlock reflected. “This allows me to compete in the world championships and also gives me a lifeline to do other things.
“I want to thank the crowd and all the families that were here tonight. They were amazing.
“It was a real struggle. Raymond was probably the best player this entire tournament, but thank God he brought it out that night. I had to.”
“Just to be back in the world championship is a great feeling for me and it means that the world has a chance to be world champion again. I just want to cry, but I’m not going to cry.”
Sky Sports will once again be home to the Premier League, World Cup of Darts, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and World Darts Championship. Stream darts and other top sports now
