Overview
- Littler beat Raymond van Barneveld 6-1 with a 99 average, three 180s and a 115 checkout to advance in under 13 minutes.
- He will face 2018 champion James Wade next, while Luke Humphries whitewashed Krzysztof Ratajski 6-0 to set up a meeting with Cameron Menzies.
- Winning the European Championship would guarantee Littler the No. 1 ranking; reaching the final would suffice if Humphries goes out in the second round or loses to Littler in a potential quarter-final.
- Humphries’ progression removed the scenario where a first-round exit for him and a Littler semi-final would have handed the teenager top spot.
- Off the oche, Littler’s recent Instagram rebuke of pundit Andy Cornwall followed criticism of his entry into the World Youth Championship, where he lost in the semi-finals to Beau Greaves.