Woodhouse ends Littler title defence as Van Gerwen exits World Grand Prix

Luke Woodhouse knocked defending champion Luke Littler out of the World Grand Prix in Leicester, recovering from a set down to win their first-round match 2-1. BBC Sport reported that the result ended the 19-year-old world champion's title defence on a night when six-time tournament winner Michael van Gerwen also went out.

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Littler won the opening set but finished the best-of-three contest with an average of 82.41. Woodhouse drew level before taking the deciding set 3-1 in legs, sealing victory with a 75 checkout. The tournament uses a double-in, double-out format, requiring players to hit a double both to start scoring and to finish a leg.

The defeat followed Littler's quarter-final loss to Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals just over a week earlier. In an Instagram story after Monday's match, Littler congratulated Woodhouse, acknowledged that both players had missed opportunities and credited his opponent with taking his chance. He also wished Woodhouse well for the remainder of the event, according to the BBC.

Woodhouse will next play Nathan Aspinall in the last 16. Aspinall, the runner-up in 2022, progressed with a 2-1 victory over Kevin Doets, who was making his debut in the competition. That result completed the second-round pairing for Woodhouse after his comeback against the defending champion.

Van Gerwen was eliminated by Ryan Joyce, who recovered to win 2-1 after taking five of the final six legs. Joyce, a semi-finalist in 2024, will meet fellow first-round winner Danny Noppert. The Dutchman secured his place by defeating Germany's Niko Springer 2-1.

Gerwyn Price advanced with a 2-0 win over Sebastian Bialecki, conceding only one leg. His next opponent will be Ross Smith, who overturned an early deficit to beat Cameron Menzies 2-1. Price's straight-sets victory contrasted with the deciding-set contests that settled several other places in the last 16.

Clayton also came through a three-set match, beating Krzysztof Ratajski 2-1. He will face Wessel Nijman, who defeated 2018 world champion Rob Cross in straight sets, completing another confirmed second-round matchup from Monday's results.