Luke Littler produced a sensational display to defeat Gian van Veen and set up a showdown against reigning champion Mike De Decker on day two of the World Grand Prix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Littler had lost his previous three meetings against Van Veen, but halted that streak in a record-breaking contest at Leicester’s Mattioli Arena on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Veen registered the highest average in World Grand Prix history, usurping Alan Warriner-Little’s 24-year-long record with an average of 106.47.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the World Youth Champion was only afforded two legs by a merciless Littler, who wrapped up a remarkable 2-0 victory with a match-winning 144 outshot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We definitely bring the best out of each other,”\u00a0reflected Littler, who averaged north of 105 himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Gian played his part in a brilliant game, but to get my first win on this stage feels amazing. Anything can happen in double-start, so hopefully I can perform like I did tonight in round two. I’ll be ready!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Littler will now take on De Decker in a blockbuster tussle on Thursday, after the Belgian number one kicked off his title defence with a comeback win against 2018 runner-up Peter Wright.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Scot started strongly to clinch the opening stanza against throw, only for De Decker to turn the tide with a sublime 152 checkout midway through set two \u2013 paving the way for an impressive fightback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It was a shaky start, but I played well in the final two sets,” reflected De Decker, who is aiming to become the third player in World Grand Prix history to retain the double-start crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I was really nervous in the first set, because I’ve never had the experience of defending a title before, but it was also a nice feeling. I had goosebumps coming back here!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wright was one of four seeds to exit on Day Two, with six-time champion Michael van Gerwen also suffering an early exit against his fellow countryman Dirk van Duijvenbode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Duijvenbode \u2013 a World Grand Prix runner-up in 2020 \u2013 was threatening a whitewash win at one stage, before condemning Van Gerwen to a second straight opening round defeat in the East Midlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Van Duijvenbode’s next assignment will be a meeting with Daryl Gurney, after the 2017 champion overcame former European Champion Ross Smith for the loss of a solitary leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gerwyn Price and Josh Rock will renew their rivalry in a captivating clash on Thursday, after kicking off their title challenges with wins over Ryan Searle and Ryan Joyce respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2020 champion Price defied a rip-roaring start from Searle to prevail in a deciding-set thriller, converting 94, 104 and 138 combinations to sink the Somerset star, who landed five maximums in defeat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rock also overturned an early deficit to celebrate his maiden victory on the World Grand Prix stage, wrapping up proceedings with a 108 finish in a dramatic final leg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elsewhere, 2021 champion Jonny Clayton made a winning start on his double-start return, halting his six-match losing run against Andrew Gilding to set up a meeting with Luke Woodhouse in round two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Woodhouse produced an extraordinary recovery to win through a last-leg shoot-out against Damon Heta \u2013 extending the Australian’s winless record on the World Grand Prix stage to five matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having missed seven darts at a starting double in the decider, Woodhouse launched a stunning late revival, crashing in back-to-back 180s and converting a clinical 90 kill to seal his progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wednesday’s action will see Round Two get underway at the Mattioli Arena, as world number one Luke Humphries takes on Poland’s number one Krzysztof Ratajski for a place in the quarter-finals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fourth seed Stephen Bunting faces 2021 semi-finalist Danny Noppert, while former World Champions Gary Anderson and Rob Cross lock horns with Joe Cullen and Cameron Menzies respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
RESULTS<\/strong> Luke Littler produced a sensational display to defeat Gian van Veen and set up a showdown against reigning<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[59],"class_list":["post-4305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","tag-darts"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t
Round One: <\/strong>Luke Woodhouse 2-1 Damon Heta (3-0, 0-3, 3-2); Daryl Gurney 2-0 Ross Smith (3-0, 3-1); Jonny Clayton 2-0 Andrew Gilding (3-1, 3-2); Gerwyn Price 2-1 Ryan Searle (0-3, 3-2, 3-1); Luke Littler 2-0 Gian van Veen (3-2, 3-0); Dirk van Duijvenbode 2-0 Michael van Gerwen (3-0, 3-2); Mike De Decker 2-1 Peter Wright (1-3, 3-1, 3-1); Josh Rock 2-1 Ryan Joyce (1-3, 3-1, 3-2)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"