Woodhouse knocks out Littler as Van Gerwen also exits World Grand Prix

Luke Woodhouse ended Luke Littler's World Grand Prix title defence with a 2-1 first-round victory in Leicester on Monday, BBC Sport reported. The world champion won the opening set but could not secure a place in the last 16.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj0crpcP6mw

Littler averaged 82.41 as Woodhouse overturned the deficit. A 75 checkout sealed the deciding set 3-1 in legs. Woodhouse next faces Nathan Aspinall, the 2022 runner-up, who beat debutant Kevin Doets 2-1.

Michael van Gerwen also went out. The six-time champion lost five of the final six legs in a 2-1 defeat by Ryan Joyce, who will meet Danny Noppert after his 2-1 win over Niko Springer.

BBC Sport also reported wins for Gerwyn Price and Jonny Clayton. Price dropped one leg against Sebastian Bialecki in a 2-0 victory and next plays Ross Smith. Clayton beat Krzysztof Ratajski 2-1 and will face Wessel Nijman, who eliminated Rob Cross in straight sets.

The tournament's double-start format makes it distinct from events in which players can score immediately. As LiveDarts explains in its competition guide, each leg must begin and finish on a double: scoring cannot start until a player hits the opening double. Every set is contested over a maximum of five legs, without a tie-break.

First-round matches are best of three sets, with the distance increasing to five sets for the second round and quarter-finals. LiveDarts lists the semi-finals as best of nine and the final as best of 11. The longer matches therefore begin only after the opening round has reduced the field. The competition began with 32 players and offers a £150,000 prize for the winner.

The Professional Darts Players Association's published schedule places these four second-round ties on Wednesday, September 30, with their order still to be confirmed. That session is scheduled to start at 7pm BST. The other half of the second round follows on Thursday. The quarter-finals are scheduled for Friday, October 2, followed by Saturday's semi-finals and the final on Sunday, October 4.