Luke Woodhouse produced one of the biggest wins of his career by dumping reigning champion Luke Littler out of the BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix on a dramatic opening night in Leicester. The 37-year-old recovered from losing the opening set to stun the world number one at the Mattioli Arena, ending Littler’s 36-match unbeaten run in PDC televised ranking events and setting up a second-round showdown with Nathan Aspinall.
Littler claimed the opening stanza in scrappy fashion, but Woodhouse responded brilliantly in the second set to level the contest and force a decider. The Stockport thrower then capitalised on uncharacteristic errors from Littler to establish a 2-0 lead in the deciding set before completing a landmark victory with a nerveless two-dart 75 checkout. “I’m a bit all over the shop at the moment,” reflected Woodhouse, who has won two ranking titles during a breakthrough 2026 campaign. “It’s the first time I’ve played him on a main stage, and safe to say I was shaking a little bit! I think it was a scrappy game. Of course, I’ll take the win. To beat someone of the stature of Luke Littler, it’s nice. It’s a very short format. When the games get longer, Luke gets better, so I just tried my best to put him under as much pressure as I could.”
Littler’s exit comes just days after his hopes of completing an unprecedented clean sweep of Premier televised titles in 2026 were ended by Jonny Clayton at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The World Champion had won his previous 36 televised ranking matches before Woodhouse brought that remarkable run to an end. Michael van Gerwen was another huge casualty on the opening night, with the six-time champion beaten by a clinical Ryan Joyce. Van Gerwen made the brighter start, but Joyce produced a stunning finishing display to turn the contest around, landing 92, 110 and 118 checkouts on his way to a deciding-set victory. Joyce will now face Danny Noppert for a place in the quarter-finals after the Dutchman survived a spirited fightback from Niko Springer.
Gerwyn Price also made an emphatic start to his World Grand Prix campaign, averaging 101.61 in a straight-sets demolition of debutant Sebastian Bialecki. The 2020 champion dropped just one leg and produced two 120 checkouts during an impressive display at the Mattioli Arena. “I think I played pretty decent in that game,” said Price, who is one of four former champions remaining in the tournament. “I don’t care about anyone else or sending a message out, but it gives me a bit of confidence with the new darts and the new points. I knew they were good but they’re going to get better!” Price will now renew his rivalry with Ross Smith in round two in a repeat of last weekend’s World Series of Darts Finals showdown. Smith had to work considerably harder for his place in the last 16, fighting back from a set down to defeat Cameron Menzies in a high-quality contest. The former World Series champion survived two match darts and finished with a 99.54 average as he overturned Menzies’ fast start to progress.
Nathan Aspinall also survived a major scare against debutant Kevin Doets. The 2022 runner-up appeared destined for an early exit when Doets squandered three match darts for a straight-sets victory, allowing Aspinall to force a deciding set. The Stockport star then produced a sensational ten-darter before following it up with a crucial 115 checkout in the penultimate leg to complete a dramatic comeback. Jonny Clayton also advanced, beginning his bid for a second World Grand Prix title with a hard-fought victory over Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski. The 2021 champion converted 64% of his attempts at a starting double to progress and will now face Wessel Nijman. Nijman produced an impressive straight-sets victory over former World Champion Rob Cross, gaining revenge for his defeat to the Englishman at the same venue last year.
The BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix continues on Tuesday evening as the opening round concludes in Leicester. World number two Luke Humphries begins his campaign against two-time runner-up Dave Chisnall, while Gian van Veen and Dirk van Duijvenbode meet in an all-Dutch clash. Two-time champion James Wade begins his 22nd consecutive World Grand Prix campaign against Joe Cullen, while 2016 runner-up Gary Anderson takes on Australian number one Damon Heta.
2026 BOYLE Sports World Grand Prix
Monday September 28
Round One x8
Danny Noppert 2-1 Niko Springer (3-0, 2-3, 3-0)
Ross Smith 2-1 Cameron Menzies (0-3, 3-2, 3-0)
Nathan Aspinall 2-1 Kevin Doets (1-3, 3-2, 3-2)
Jonny Clayton 2-1 Krzysztof Ratajski (3-2, 2-3, 3-2)
Gerwyn Price 2-0 Sebastian Bialecki (3-0, 3-1)
Ryan Joyce 2-1 Michael van Gerwen (2-3, 3-1, 3-1)
Luke Woodhouse 2-1 Luke Littler (1-3, 3-2, 3-1)
Wessel Nijman 2-0 Rob Cross (3-2, 3-1)
Tuesday September 29 (1800 BST)
Round One x8
Chris Dobey v Jermaine Wattimena
Ryan Searle v William O’Connor
Josh Rock v Niels Zonneveld
James Wade v Joe Cullen
Gary Anderson v Damon Heta
Gian van Veen v Dirk van Duijvenbode
Luke Humphries v Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting v Andrew Gilding
Best of Three Sets
