Luke Woodhouse called on fans to get behind Luke Littler and "appreciate" his talents, after the 19-year-old has been subjected to boos by crowds at recent events.

Littler set out to defend his World Grand Prix title on Monday in Leicester, but was knocked out by Woodhouse in the first round, suffering a 2-1 defeat. The world No 1 was seemingly not at his best during the match, averaging 82.41, with Woodhouse coming back from a set down to book a last-16 tie against Nathan Aspinall.

Reflecting on his victory, Woodhouse urged fans to get behind Littler, hailing him for how he has elevated the sport. "Luke's not a robot. He is going to have days and weeks where he's not right on it," Woodhouse said. "People have echoed it and I'm going to say it again: He's a one-of-a-kind, Luke Littler."

Earlier in September, Littler was booed during the World Series of Darts Finals in the Netherlands, with referee Charlie Corstorphine forced to intervene. Woodhouse added: "He's done for the game what Phil [Taylor], Michael van Gerwen, Raymond van Barneveld and Gary Anderson have done... I just hope people get behind him."