Day two saw rounds two and three, with world No. 1 Littler showing no sign of faltering.
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 tomorrow,” Littler said after closing with a 121 finish. “This is a title I haven’t won, so I’m chasing it.”
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 TV, but I think I’m due,” Price said. “I’m feeling confident and enjoying the game.”
Gurney, the sole remaining former champion, survived a nervy encounter with debutant Adam Lipscombe, needing to fend off ten match darts after Lipscombe led 8–4 and 9–7. Earlier, he had claimed a 6–4 win over world No. 4 Bunting.
Josh Rock, Gurney’s World Cup partner, was another standout performer. He whitewashed Scott Williams before edging Krzysztof Ratajski 10–8, converting four ton-plus finishes against Williams and firing in ten maximums to withstand a remarkable comeback from the Pole. Rock now faces Nathan Aspinall, who reached his first Players Championship quarter-final after victories over Dutch duo Richard Veenstra and Danny Noppert.
James Wade and Jermaine Wattimena will also clash for a semi-final berth. Wade overcame 2021 champion Peter Wright and 2023 UK Open winner Andrew Gilding in successive rounds, while Wattimena produced a tournament-high 108.94 average to defeat Ryan Joyce and then narrowly edged past Ryan Searle 10–8.
The tournament has already seen the exit of former champions Gary Anderson and Wright, while European champion Gian van Veen surrendered a 5–3 lead to Ratajski in round two.
The remaining eight players will compete on finals day, with quarter-finals on Sunday afternoon, followed by the semi-finals and final in an evening session.
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, of England, in a highly anticipated clash.
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