Plaisier Shocks Price as Littler Cruises On at World Darts Championship

Wesley Plaisier produced one of the biggest upsets of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship so far, demolishing former World Champion Gerwyn Price in straight sets on Sunday night at Alexandra Palace.

Day Eleven of the £5 million showpiece featured another blockbuster double session of round two action, and it was Plaisier who stole the headlines with a stunning whitewash victory over the ninth seed.

Plaisier stuns former champion Price

The Dutchman made a flying start, claiming the opening set before racing through the second, converting six of his ten attempts at double to leave Price on the brink of elimination.

Plaisier then showed remarkable composure in the third set, surviving two set darts from Price in the deciding leg before pinning double ten to seal a famous 3-0 victory. The result marked the biggest win of his career and one of the shocks of the tournament to date.

“This is by far the biggest win I’ve ever had,” said an emotional Plaisier afterwards. “I never imagined beating Gerwyn, especially not 3-0.

“I just wanted to give him a good game and maybe nick a set or two. When it came to throwing for the match, the nerves were huge, but I took my chance when it came.

“The best victories are the ones you don’t expect – I’m absolutely delighted.”

Plaisier will now face Krzysztof Ratajski in round three, as he bids to go beyond the second round at the World Championship for the first time.

Littler avoids upset to continue title defence

Reigning champion Luke Littler ensured there would be no repeat of Price’s fate, delivering another straight-sets victory to dispatch David Davies and move into round three.

The world number one began slowly by his standards, averaging under 90 in the opening set and surviving five set darts before edging a deciding leg. From there, Littler found his rhythm, landing a spectacular 145 checkout and lifting his average above 97 as he closed out the match in style.

“It’s always nice to win, and winning 3-0 makes it even better,” Littler said. “I knew I had to punish him when the chances came, especially in that first set.

“I watched the Price game and Wesley played very well. You can only beat whoever is in front of you.”

Littler will now take on Mensur Suljovic in round three.

Cross and Heta book round three clash

Former World Champion Rob Cross progressed with a 3-1 victory over veteran Ian White. The contest was finely balanced early on, with White producing a stunning 167 checkout to level matters at one set each.

Cross regained control in the key moments, however, taking out 92 in a deciding leg to move ahead before closing out the match.

“I didn’t play my best, but I got the job done,” Cross admitted. “At the World Championship, that’s all that matters. If I hit my top level, I know I can be dangerous.”

Cross will meet Damon Heta in the last 32 after the Australian number one battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 down to defeat Stefan Bellmont 3-2. Despite a slow start, Heta recovered superbly, converting 55% of his doubles to grind out victory.

Suljovic, Schindler and Ratajski advance

Mensur Suljovic booked his place in round three with a 3-1 win over Joe Cullen in a tense and scrappy encounter. After dropping the opening set, the Austrian reeled off three in a row to reach the last 32 for the ninth time in his World Championship career.

Martin Schindler delivered a clinical straight-sets win over Keane Barry, despite each set being decided by a final-leg shootout. The German number one kept his nerve in the big moments, taking out finishes of 20, 118 and 76 to complete the whitewash and set up a mouth-watering clash with Ryan Searle.

Krzysztof Ratajski also impressed, defeating Ryan Joyce 3-1 to reach round three for the sixth time in nine Ally Pally appearances. The Polish number one surged into a 2-0 lead with a near-ton average before closing out the match with a clinical 13-dart leg.

Woodhouse eases through

Luke Woodhouse cruised into the next round with a commanding 3-0 victory over Max Hopp. Woodhouse won the opening six legs without reply and conceded just a single leg in the final set to set up a round three meeting with Andrew Gilding.

Championship continues on Monday

The festive darts action continues on Day Twelve at Alexandra Palace, with reigning 2023/24 World Champion Luke Humphries headlining Monday’s double session against Singaporean legend Paul Lim.

Former World Matchplay champion Nathan Aspinall also returns to the stage to face Leonard Gates in a repeat of their round two meeting from last year, while Kenyan trailblazer David Munyua takes on Kevin Doets.

Plaisier Shocks Price as Littler Cruises On at World Darts Championship

2025/26 Paddy Power World Darts Championship

Sunday December 21

Afternoon Session

Round Two x4

Krzysztof Ratajski 3-1 Ryan Joyce (3-1, 3-1, 0-3, 3-0)

Mensur Suljovic 3-1 Joe Cullen (0-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-2)

Luke Woodhouse 3-0 Max Hopp (3-0, 3-0, 3-1)

Rob Cross 3-1 Ian White (3-1, 0-3, 3-1, 3-2)