Littler stunned by Waterhouse at World Grand Prix

Luke Littler, the reigning world champion, saw his attempt to defend the World Grand Prix rubric end in the opening round after a first‑round loss to Luke Woodhouse in Leicester. The 19‑year‑old had hoped to rebound from a quarter‑final defeat to Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals just over a week earlier. Although Littler claimed the opening set, his performance dropped markedly, averaging only 82.41 for the best‑of‑three contest. Woodhouse seized the opportunity, leveling the match and finishing with a 75 checkout to clinch the deciding set 3‑1 in legs. Woodhouse now advances to meet 2022 runner‑up Nathan Aspinall in the last‑16; Aspinall secured his place by edging Dutch debutant Kevin Doets 2‑1. On Monday, six‑time champion Michael van Gerwen surrendered five of his last six legs, while 2024 semi‑finalist Ryan Joyce rallied to win 2‑1. Joyce will face Danny Noppert, who recently defeated Germany’s Niko Springer by the same margin. Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price of Wales dropped only a single leg in a comfortable 2‑0 victory over Poland’s Sebastian Bialecki, setting up a clash with England’s Ross Smith, who overturned a deficit to beat Scotland’s Cameron Menzies 2‑1. Welshman Clayton prevailed over Krzysztof Ratajski 2‑1 and will next play Wessel Nijman of the Netherlands, who dispatched former world champion Rob Cross in straight sets.