Luke Littler defies record Van Veen average, Michael van Gerwen dumped out again as Gerwyn Price seals World Grand Prix opener

It was a dramatic night at the World Grand Prix in Leicester as Luke Littler produced a record-breaking display, Michael van Gerwen suffered another first-round shock, and Gerwyn Price battled his way into the last sixteen.

Littler lit up the Morningside Arena with a phenomenal performance to sweep aside Gian van Veen in straight sets. In what turned out to be the highest-quality match ever played at the World Grand Prix, both men averaged over 100 – a first in the tournament’s history.

Van Veen actually finished with the highest average ever recorded at the event, hitting 106.47, but still ended up on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat. Littler wasn’t far behind on 105.58, proving once again why the teenage sensation continues to dominate the headlines in his debut season on the PDC circuit.

Van Veen started strongly, opening with an 11-darter and a 74 finish to lead 2-1 in the first set. Littler, however, responded in typically ruthless fashion – a 151 checkout turned the tide before he sealed the opener with an 86 finish. After the interval, “The Nuke” found another gear. He broke throw immediately with an 18-darter, then fired in two 12-darters to complete a 3-0 whitewash in the second set. The result sees Littler safely into round two after a match that will go down in Grand Prix history.

Van Gerwen dumped out by Van Duijvenbode

Over on the other side of the draw, Michael van Gerwen’s struggles at the World Grand Prix continued as he was beaten 2-0 by fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode.

Van Duijvenbode, nicknamed “The Aubergenius”, was superb on his opening doubles – finding them with his first dart in half of the legs – while Van Gerwen could only manage a 25% success rate. That proved the key difference, as Van Duijvenbode ruthlessly punished every mistake.

Van Gerwen missed two darts to win the opening leg and was immediately punished by an 80 finish from his opponent. Van Duijvenbode followed up with a 53 checkout to move 2-0 up and capitalised again as Van Gerwen missed two more doubles in the third leg, cleaning up 76 to take the set 3-0.

In the second set, Van Duijvenbode looked on course for a whitewash at 2-0 before Van Gerwen rallied to level at 2-2. However, with the advantage of throwing first in the decider, Van Duijvenbode opened with a 112 score and never looked back, sealing a famous victory to send the three-time world champion crashing out in the opening round for the second consecutive year.

The Dutchman now advances to face Daryl Gurney, who overcame Ross Smith in straight sets. “Superchin” took the first set 3-0 and edged the second after a crucial 95 checkout via two double 19s.

Price battles back to defeat Searle

Gerwyn Price was also made to work hard for his place in the second round after falling a set behind against Ryan Searle.

The 2021 world champion struggled badly in the opening stages, missing a series of opening doubles as Searle coasted through the first set 3-0. But Price hit back in style, firing in finishes of 138 and 94 on his way to a narrow 3-2 success in the second set.

In the decider, “The Iceman” raced into a 2-0 lead and appeared to have the match wrapped up before missing match darts in leg three. Searle pulled one back but couldn’t extend it to a fifth leg, as Price eventually held his nerve to complete the comeback with a 64 checkout.

Price now faces Josh Rock in the last sixteen after the Northern Irishman edged out Ryan Joyce in a deciding leg thriller.

Joyce took the opening set 3-1 before Rock fought back to level in the second. The third went the distance, and both players were left on 108 in the final leg, but Rock held his nerve – finding treble 20, single 16, double 16 – to seal a huge win.

De Decker, Clayton and Woodhouse also advance

Elsewhere, Mike de Decker began his title defence with a 2-1 victory over Peter Wright. “Snakebite” looked sharp early on, taking the first set 3-1 and even moving 1-0 ahead in the second, but his form quickly deserted him.

De Decker found his rhythm and took control with a 13-darter and a brilliant 152 finish, before levelling the match with a 17-darter. The Belgian carried his momentum into the deciding set, taking it 3-1 to move through.

Jonny Clayton joined them in round two after ending a run of six straight defeats against Andrew Gilding. “The Ferret” was clinical, averaging 88.37 and hitting 42.9% of his doubles in a 2-0 win.

He took the first set 3-1, finishing 74 after Gilding missed a dart at double 6, and wrapped up the second 3-2 thanks to a composed 54 checkout.

Clayton will meet Luke Woodhouse, who survived a rollercoaster battle against Damon Heta. Woodhouse swept the first set 3-0 before Heta replied in kind with legs of 14, 12 and 15 darts to level. The third set went to a deciding leg, where Woodhouse produced back-to-back 180s and a 90 checkout to clinch victory.

What’s next

The second round promises fireworks, with Littler continuing his pursuit of a maiden major title, Price set for a blockbuster showdown with Rock, and Van Duijvenbode hoping to follow up his upset over Van Gerwen.