Frustrated Luke Littler sensationally KO’d in World Grand Prix first round in one of his worst EVER TV displays

FRUSTRATED Luke Littler was sensationally knocked out of the World Grand Prix by Luke Woodhouse. In one of his worst displays on TV, The Nuke was shocked 2-1 by the world No.18 on the opening night in Leicester. The two-time world champion struggled with the unique double-start format and only averaged below 83 as he saw his title defence ruined in round one. This is one of Woodhouse’s best wins and he will face Nathan Aspinall in round two, having blown open the top half of the draw. On a night of high drama, it is a huge blow to the PDC, Sky Sports and sponsors BoyleSports to lose their top player so early in the tournament. But in reality, the Warrington lad never settled into this game, even though he claimed the first set, and his average of 82.41 is one of his lowest at one of the majors. READ MORE IN SPORT Littler – who had spent the past week on the exhibition circuit, throwing in Blackpool, Rotherham and Skegness – lost in the first round of a premier TV competition for two years. Assuming he does not appear in any Pro Tours events in October, it means Littler will have just TWO more tournaments – the European Championship and Grand Slam of Darts – before his World Championship title defence on December 11. Earlier this month, Littler saw his chance of a clean sweep of televised majors this calendar year disappear when he lost at the World Series of Darts in Amsterdam. In an Instagram post, Littler said: “Well played Luke Woodhouse. Most read in Sport BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK Darts travel offers WE have teamed up with some of the UK’s finest travel firms to come up with these darts packages. Join the party when Luke Littler and co take centre stage. 🎯 MR VEGAS GRAND SLAM OF DARTS — Ticket to the darts plus night at handpicked hotel from £129 — BUY HERE 🎯 PDC PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS— See the world’s finest players go head to head at Butlin’s Minehead — BUY HERE * If you click on a link we will earn affiliate revenue. “It was a good game. Good one to be a part of as well. “Both hit, both missed, but Luke took his chance and a nice week off now. “All the best to Luke for the rest of the tournament.” Woodhouse, 37, said: “I saw Luke didn’t win at the World Series and lost to Jonny. But Jonny is one of the best players to have ever done it. “Luke’s not a robot. He is going to have days, weeks, where he is not right on it. “People have echoed it. He is one of a kind and I hope people will take the time to appreciate how good he is and not give him a hard time. Really stick behind him. “We might not see another Luke Littler ever again.” This was not the only upset of the evening as before Littler’s appearance, Van Gerwen – a six-time champion – was knocked out 2-1 by Ryan Joyce in a shock loss. The Dutchman, 37, is struggling for form and is tumbling down the world rankings. Ross Smith overcame a “week from hell” in which he was hospitalised with illness and came close to pulling out of the tournament. The recently-crowned World Series champion survived two match darts to beat Cameron Menzies 2-1. The Dover thrower produced a brilliant 99.54 average to keep his bid for back-to-back major titles alive.