Littler stunned by Waterhouse at World Grand Prix
World champion Luke Littler's hopes of defending his World Grand Prix title are dashed as he falls to a shock shock first-round defeat by Luke Woodhouse in Leicester.
Luke Littler's aspirations to defend his World Grand Prix title were shattered following a stunning first-round loss to Luke Woodhouse in Leicester. The 19-year-old Littler, who had been aiming to recover from his quarter-final exit to Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals just a week prior, struggled throughout the best-of-three match, averaging only 82.41.
Despite taking the first set, Woodhouse managed to level the match and ultimately clinch the deciding set with a checkout of 75, winning it 3-1 in legs. Woodhouse will now face Nathan Aspinall, who upset Dutch debutant Kevin Doets 2-1. Earlier in the day, Michael van Gerwen's six-time title suffered a setback as he lost five legs out of the last six, with Ryan Joyce fighting back to win 2-1.
England's Joyce will challenge Dutchman Danny Noppert, who beat Germany's Niko Springer with the same score. Meanwhile, Wales' Gerwyn Price only lost a single leg in his victory over Poland's Sebastian Bialecki 2-0, setting up a clash with England's Ross Smith, who came back from behind to beat Scotland's Cameron Menzies 2-1. Welshman Clayton also advanced past Krzysztof Ratajski 2-1, and he will encounter the Netherlands' Wessel Nijman, who overcame 2018 world champion Rob Cross in straight sets.
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