Luke Littler Falls to Rob Cross in World Grand Prix Debut

Luke Littler the pre-tournament favorite suffered a 2-1 defeat against Rob Cross in his debut match at the World Grand Prix in Leicester. The 17-year-old sensation showcased his talent with six maximums during the match but struggled to find his rhythm in the double-start format. After losing the first set, Littler managed to level the match at 1-1 but Cross held his nerve finishing the fourth set with a bullseye to secure only his third victory in the tournament.

Cross, who famously won the World Championship on his debut in 2018 will advance to face Germany’s Martin Schindler in the second round on Wednesday. Meanwhile, reigning champion Luke Humphries staged a remarkable comeback against Masters winner Stephen Bunting, winning 2-1 after trailing a set and two legs. Bunting initially dominated, winning the first five legs and coming close to victory before missing a crucial double 16.

Humphries seized the opportunity, claiming the next three legs to level the match and eventually pulling ahead to secure his win. Humphries, who celebrated his first TV ranking title last year after defeating Gerwyn Price, aims to become the third player in history to retain the title, following legends Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen. He will next face Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko.

Pietreczko edged out Dutch five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld with a 2-1 victory. In other results from Monday, Nathan Aspinall defeated Ryan Searle 2-1 while Schindler triumphed over Brendan Dolan 2-0. Ryan Joyce, Jonny Clayton and Ross Smith each secured victories by the same scoreline against Josh Rock, Ritchie Edhouse and Gian van Veen, respectively.