Overview
- World No 1 Luke Littler advanced to the last eight after a 10-6 win over Ricardo Pietreczko, having earlier beaten Ross Smith 6-3 and Jeffrey de Graaf 6-1.
- Littler averaged around 102 in both Saturday matches and produced highlights including a 121 finish featuring two bullseyes against Pietreczko.
- Defending champion Luke Humphries lost 6-5 to Gian van Veen in the first round after leading 3-0, with the Dutchman swinging momentum with a 161 checkout.
- Littler said he may reduce his 2026 ProTour commitments, potentially playing only select events, echoing recent comments from Humphries about the congested calendar.
- Gerwyn Price, Nathan Aspinall, James Wade and Jermaine Wattimena also progressed, as Littler targets a first Players Championship Finals title on Sunday.