Overview
- Rob Cross swept past Damon Heta 4-0 to set up a fourth-round meeting with Luke Littler at Alexandra Palace.
- Littler’s 4-0 win over Mensur Suljovic featured a 107.09 average, nine 180s and 71% on doubles, extending his run without dropping a set.
- Gary Anderson survived a seven-set epic against Jermaine Wattimena 4-3, coming within a dart of a nine-darter before closing out the tiebreak.
- No. 4 seed Stephen Bunting fell 4-3 to James Hurrell, adding to a tournament of shocks that has already seen exits for Gerwyn Price and James Wade.
- The expanded 128-player championship carries a record £5m prize fund with £1m to the winner, as the last 16 takes shape ahead of early-January quarter-finals.