Littler & Humphries among last eight at Ladbrokes UK Open
Luke Humphries and Luke Littler are among the eight players who will compete for the Ladbrokes UK Open title on Sunday, after coming through Saturday’s fifth and sixth round action in Minehead.
Two-time UK Open runner-up Humphries will take on three-time champion James Wade in Sunday afternoon’s quarter-finals, while World Champion Littler will face World Youth Champion Gian van Veen.
Humphries dropped just two legs in a dominant day’s work, whitewashing Ryan Searle in round five before defeating Ryan Joyce 10-2 in the last 16.
“My finishing has been fantastic today,” said Humphries, who has won 25 of his last 27 legs in this year’s event.
“You’re in the real business end of a big tournament now, and it’s going to be tough because there are so many contenders left.
“It’s been a great couple of days for me, but now I’ve got to turn up tomorrow, have a good night’s rest and make sure that I’m really at my best to try and lift this trophy.
“If I keep playing like I can then I stand a great chance, and it would be an amazing achievement, because it’s such a prestigious tournament to win.”
Wade’s passage into the last eight was less serene, as the UK Open ever-present came through a last-leg decider with Cameron Menzies before battling to a 10-8 win over Rob Owen, who dumped out three-time champion Michael van Gerwen earlier in the day.
Teenage sensation Littler averaged 104.21 in an assured 10-4 win over Jermaine Wattimena, but was made to work hard for a 10-8 success over Krzysztof Ratajski.
“I made it hard for myself, but I had to just stick in there and get the win,” reflected Littler.
“Krzysztof came back well, so I’m happy to get over the line and I’m looking forward to coming back tomorrow afternoon.
“I’m enjoying it, and if my darts are going well – which they are – then I enjoy myself even more.
“I am just taking it game by game, and hopefully I can go all the way.”
A repeat of the 2023 World Youth Championship final will see Littler take on Van Veen, who reached his third TV ranking event quarter-final thanks to a 10-9 victory over Damon Heta, in which the rising Dutch star averaged 109.90.
A stellar quarter-final line-up will also see 2019 champion Nathan Aspinall take on Josh Rock, while 2022 runner-up Michael Smith faces Jonny Clayton.
Premier League star Aspinall enjoyed wins over Jurjen van der Velde and William O’Connor, while Rock came out on top in a thriller against Ross Smith before defeating Rob Cross to reach his second TV ranking event quarter-final.
A resurgent Smith ended Dimitri Van den Bergh’s reign as champion – having defeated Madars Razma earlier in the day – while Clayton fought back from 5-0 down to beat Alan Soutar 10-7, before easing past Martin Schindler.
At the conclusion of the quarter-finals, the draw for the semi-finals will be made live on stage before the semi-finals and final take place in the evening session.
Sunday’s action will be broadcast live on ITV4 for UK viewers, through the PDC’s international broadcast partners, including DAZN and Viaplay, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.
2025 Ladbrokes UK Open
Saturday March 1
Afternoon Session
Fifth Round
Dimitri Van den Bergh 10-9 Chris Dobey
Luke Littler 10-4 Jermaine Wattimena
Luke Humphries 10-0 Ryan Searle
Rob Owen 10-8 Michael van Gerwen
Josh Rock 10-9 Ross Smith
Jonny Clayton 10-7 Alan Soutar
Nathan Aspinall 10-2 Jurjen van der Velde
Rob Cross 10-9 Danny Noppert
Krzysztof Ratajski 10-8 Dave Chisnall
William O’Connor 10-3 Mensur Suljovic
Michael Smith 10-7 Madars Razma
Gian van Veen 10-7 Stephen Burton
Martin Schindler 10-9 Dylan Slevin
Ryan Joyce 10-3 Danny Lauby
James Wade 10-9 Cameron Menzies
Damon Heta 10-7 Connor Scutt
Evening Session
Sixth Round
Michael Smith 10-3 Dimitri Van den Bergh
Luke Littler 10-8 Krzysztof Ratajski
Luke Humphries 10-2 Ryan Joyce
Josh Rock 10-6 Rob Cross
Jonny Clayton 10-4 Martin Schindler
James Wade 10-8 Rob Owen
Gian van Veen 10-9 Damon Heta
Nathan Aspinall 10-8 William O’Connor
Sunday March 2
Afternoon Session (1245 GMT)
Quarter-Finals
Gian van Veen v Luke Littler
Josh Rock v Nathan Aspinall
Jonny Clayton v Michael Smith
James Wade v Luke Humphries
Best of 19 legs
Evening Session (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals
Best of 21 legs
Final
v
Best of 21 legs
‐——ENDS——
