Saturday saw rounds two and three, with world No. 1 Littler showing no sign of faltering in his pursuit of more silverware.
The reigning world champion averaged 107 to beat fourth seed Ross Smith 6-3, then won seven of the final eight legs to overcome Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko 10-6.
“I wasn’t at my best on the doubles, but hopefully I can sharpen up on those tomorrow afternoon," Littler said after closing with a 121 finish.
"This is a title I haven’t won, and everyone knows that, so I’m definitely chasing it and hopefully I can come back tomorrow and get another win."
In the quarters, Littler will face fifth seed Chris Dobey, who reached his second televised ranking quarter-final after wins over Cam Crabtree and James Hurrell.
Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price will meet 2018 champion Gurney, having advanced past Sebastian Bialecki and Martin Schindler, averaging 105 in a 10-6 win over Schindler.
"I haven’t been doing it on the TV, but I think I’m due," Price said. "I’m feeling good, I’m confident in my ability and the way I’m playing darts.
"I’m feeling good mentally, and that’s what I want when I’m on stage, to be enjoying the game."
Gurney, the sole remaining former champion, survived ten match darts to defeat debutant Adam Lipscombe 10-9. Earlier, he had claimed a 6-4 win over world No. 4 Bunting.
Josh Rock whitewashed Scott Williams before edging Krzysztof Ratajski 10-8. He now faces Nathan Aspinall, who reached his first quarter-final after wins over Dutch duo Richard Veenstra and Danny Noppert.
James Wade and Jermaine Wattimena will also compete for a semi-final spot. Wade overcame Peter Wright and Andrew Gilding, while Wattimena produced a tournament-high 108.94 average to defeat Ryan Joyce before squeaking past Ryan Searle.
The tournament has already seen the exits of former champions Gary Anderson and Wright, while European champion Gian van Veen lost a 5-3 lead to Ratajski, ultimately falling 6-5 in round two.
The remaining eight players will compete on Sunday, with the quarter-finals taking place in the afternoon and the semi-finals and final scheduled for the evening.
The Winmau World Youth Championship final will also take place between the semi-finals and final, with reigning champion Van Veen facing Women’s Series winner Beau Greaves.
Results
Afternoon session
Daryl Gurney 6-4 Stephen Bunting
James Wade 6-4 Peter Wright
Nathan Aspinall 6-0 Richard Veenstra
Gerwyn Price 6-1 Sebastian Bialecki
Luke Littler 6-3 Ross Smith
Krzysztof Ratajski 6-5 Gian van Veen
Josh Rock 6-0 Scott Williams
Danny Noppert 6-1 Madars Razma
James Hurrell 6-1 Luke Woodhouse
Adam Lipscombe 6-2 Bradley Brooks
Ryan Searle 6-5 Callan Rydz
Jermaine Wattimena 6-2 Ryan Joyce
Martin Schindler 6-4 Nick Kenny
Ricardo Pietreczko 6-5 Gary Anderson
Andrew Gilding 6-5 Justin Hood
Chris Dobey 6-5 Cam Crabtree
Evening session
Gerwyn Price 10-6 Martin Schindler
Nathan Aspinall 10-8 Danny Noppert
Luke Littler 10-6 Ricardo Pietreczko
Josh Rock 10-8 Krzysztof Ratajski
Daryl Gurney 10-9 Adam Lipscombe
James Wade 10-6 Andrew Gilding
Jermaine Wattimena 10-8 Ryan Searle
Chris Dobey 10-5 James Hurrell