Luke Littler turned the much-anticipated quarter-final against Josh Rock into a statement win. The defending champion won 16-7 on Thursday night at the 2026 World Matchplay and will now face Dirk van Duijvenbode, who beat Gary Anderson in the other quarter-final of the evening.
The key point is clear: Littler v Rock promised a battle, but it mostly confirmed how frightening Littler looks in Blackpool right now. The PDC now has him through to a semi-final against Van Duijvenbode, after a third straight 100-plus average in the tournament.
Littler never let the quarter-final breathe
This was expected to be tight, especially after their huge 2025 meeting. There was an early settling-in spell, but it did not last. According to Sky Sports, Littler finished with a 109.57 average, 17 maximums and a 53 per cent checkout rate. At that level, Rock had almost no margin left.
The score says one thing, but the match told a little more. Rock resisted in patches, yet Littler kept applying pressure over distance: heavy scoring, a 129 checkout, then the surge that turned a possible contest into an impossible chase. That kind of spell rarely happens by accident.
This time, the story is not only that Littler won. It is how he won. After the nine-darter against Nathan Aspinall, he had to show he could reset and go again. He did not take long.
Van Duijvenbode beat Anderson, and the draw shifts
The semi-final will not carry the expected Littler v Anderson feel. DartsNews reports that Van Duijvenbode beat Anderson 16-13, coming through a tight match to earn a major semi-final spot. This is not just a line in the bracket: the Dutchman has earned a heavy meeting with the player currently carrying the strongest signals in Blackpool.
For Anderson, it is a real chance gone. For Van Duijvenbode, it is the opposite: a win that changes the reading of his week. He will not face Littler as a decorative outsider. He arrives with a reference win over a former champion who still had enough to matter in this World Matchplay.
| Quarter-final | Result |
|---|---|
| Luke Littler v Josh Rock | 16-7, with a 109.57 average for Littler |
| Dirk van Duijvenbode v Gary Anderson | 16-13, Van Duijvenbode qualifies |
| Confirmed semi-final | Littler v Van Duijvenbode |
| Competition | 2026 World Matchplay, Winter Gardens, Blackpool |
Phil Taylor’s benchmark is now part of the story
The run looks even heavier when the three matches are read together. DartsNews now has Littler on a 110.88 tournament average after his first three matches at this World Matchplay. That is what changes the reading: this is no longer only a controlled quarter-final win, but a pace that is already threatening the historic Phil Taylor benchmarks in Blackpool.
The longer format in the semi-final, and possibly the final, still has to test that level. But the signal is clear: Littler has stacked 109.53, 113.68 and 109.57. Even at Blackpool, where huge averages are part of the tournament’s memory, that consistency tells a rare story.
What this semi-final already tells us
Littler reaches the semi-final with a sequence that matters: a 109 average against Springer, 113.68 against Aspinall, then 109.57 against Rock according to Sky. Put simply, he is not living off one perfect leg. He is stacking elite performances.
Van Duijvenbode brings a different reading. He has beaten Anderson and now has a rare chance to reshape the back end of the tournament. This is where it gets serious: if he lets Littler settle into rhythm, the match can run away quickly. If he keeps him close for long enough, this World Matchplay can still move away from the obvious script.
The priority now is to follow the semi-final without overplaying it before the first dart. Littler is the strongest signal in the tournament, but Van Duijvenbode has just earned the right to be more than a name in his way.
