Luke Littler advanced to the quarter-finals of the Players Championship Finals with a 10-6 victory over Ricardo Pietreczko on Saturday night. The new world No 1 averaged 102.67 in a scrappy, back-and-forth contest; the match was 5-5 before Littler won four of the next five legs and sealed the win with a brilliant 121 checkout that included two bullseyes.
Littler said after the match that he had to respond when he fell behind: “I’m never happy when I’m losing. At 3-2 down I then got it back to 5-all and I just had to kick on there. I knew there were no more breaks, we were on (stage) until the end and I managed to get the job done. I was not the best on my doubles tonight, but I can sharpen up on them again tomorrow afternoon.”
Littler will face Chris Dobey in Sunday afternoon’s quarter-final. Littler added that the Players Championship title is one he has not yet won and he is “definitely chasing for it tomorrow.” Earlier in the event he averaged 107 in a 6-3 win over Ross Smith, hitting four 180s and finishing with a 121 checkout to reach the last 16.
Pietreczko reached the round after a 6-5 win over Gary Anderson, nailing a 116 checkout in the decider. Anderson, 54, played despite illness and admitted his form is uncertain ahead of the World Championship, saying darts has taken a back seat to other issues right now.
Other round three results on the main stage saw Gerwyn Price beat Martin Schindler 10-6, Nathan Aspinall edge Danny Noppert 10-8, and Josh Rock overcome Krzysztof Ratajski 10-8. Stage Two winners included Daryl Gurney 10-9 Adam Lipscombe, James Wade 10-6 Andrew Gilding, Jermaine Wattimena 10-8 Ryan Searle and Chris Dobey 10-5 James Hurrell.
Gurney, the 2018 champion, survived 10 match darts from qualifier Adam Lipscombe and produced an 11-darter in the deciding leg to prevail 10-9. He now draws Gerwyn Price in the last eight. Price recovered from a slow start to hit a huge 161 checkout and win six of the final seven legs in his 10-6 victory over Schindler; he warned he is preparing for a physical battle with Gurney after their heated exchange at the World Matchplay in July, quipping, “I’ve got my boxing gloves packed I am ready for him.”
Only one former champion remains in the field after Peter Wright, the 2021 winner, lost 6-4 to James Wade. Wright — who had recorded his first TV win since January’s World Masters earlier in the week — insisted he is not finished despite critics: “I love proving people wrong. A lot of people said I should give up… inside here, I ain’t finished yet.”
Josh Rock produced a dominant 6-0 win over Scott Williams, averaging above 107 with four ton-plus finishes, and then held on from an 8-2 lead scare to beat Krzysztof Ratajski 10-8 and set up a quarter-final with Nathan Aspinall. Aspinall had earlier beaten Danny Noppert 10-8, with both players combining for six 180s.
Sunday schedule (Minehead):
Afternoon session (12:45pm) — Quarter-finals, first to 10 legs:
– Gerwyn Price vs Daryl Gurney
– Luke Littler vs Chris Dobey
– Nathan Aspinall vs Josh Rock
– James Wade vs Jermaine Wattimena
Evening session (7:00pm) — Semi-finals, first to 11 legs:
– Price/Gurney vs Littler/Dobey
– Aspinall/Rock vs Wade/Wattimena
Winmau World Youth Championship Final (around 9pm) — first to 6 legs:
– Beau Greaves vs Gian van Veen
Gian van Veen, who had earlier beaten defending champion Luke Humphries in round one, lost a dramatic 6-5 decision to Ratajski after squandering a 5-3 lead and two match darts. Van Veen said he is focused on his upcoming World Youth final against Beau Greaves.
Round two highlights on the main stage included Daryl 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 Gian van Veen, Josh Rock 6-0 Scott Williams and Danny Noppert 6-1 Madars Razma.
In other news from the darts calendar, Simon Whitlock clinched a spot back in the Paddy Power World Darts Championship by winning the 2025 Dabble Darts ANZ Premier League in Brisbane. Whitlock beat Raymond Smith 10-7 in the final at Nissan Arena, earning $30,000 and qualification for Alexandra Palace next month. Emotional after the win, Whitlock said the result “gets me into the World Championship now and that gives me a lifeline to do some other things as well. It’s been a real struggle… Just getting back in the World Championship, that’s a lot for me and this means the world.”
Players already listed as qualified for the World Darts Championship in the article include Michael van Gerwen, James Wade, Gary Anderson, Peter Wright, Raymond van Barneveld, Brendan Dolan, Mensur Suljovic, Mervyn King and Simon Whitlock.
Sky Sports confirmed it will continue to broadcast the Premier League, World Cup of Darts, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and the World Darts Championship.