Luke Littler produced a sensational performance at the World Matchplay in Blackpool, throwing a nine-darter on his way to an 11-8 victory over Nathan Aspinall. The world number one began the match at the Winter Gardens with a perfect leg, finishing on double 15, much to the delight of the crowd.

While Littler narrowly missed a second nine-darter, he maintained a high level of play, finishing with an incredible 113.68 average, the second highest in the tournament's history, and a total of 14 180s. Aspinall fought back to level at 7-7, but Littler secured the final three legs to seal his quarter-final spot.

Littler expressed his excitement about the nine-darter and the high standard of the match. He will face the winner of the Josh Rock vs. Stephen Bunting tie. In other matches, Michael van Gerwen was eliminated after a 14-12 loss to Dirk van Duijvenbode, and Gary Anderson advanced with an 11-7 win over Jonny Clayton.