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Price suffers shock defeat at Alexandra Palace
Former PDC World Championship winner Gerwyn Price was eliminated in straight sets by Wesley Plaisier on Monday, marking one of the tournament's biggest upsets so far.
The 2021 champion, who had confidently predicted a second title, fell 3-0 to the Dutch qualifier, ranked 92nd in the world. Despite posting a higher average of 95.83, Price struggled with his finishing, converting just 44% of his doubles compared to Plaisier's 56%.
"I can't believe it-I'm over the moon. This is the biggest win of my career. I don't know how I pulled it off," Plaisier said after securing a third-round clash with Poland's Krzysztof Ratajski.
Littler extends winning streak
Defending champion Luke Littler, 18, cruised into the last 32 with a 3-0 victory over Welshman David Davies. The teenager, who became the youngest world champion in January 2025, has now won 15 consecutive senior matches since late October.
Littler's next opponent will be Mensur Suljovic, who overcame Joe Cullen in a contentious 3-1 win earlier in the day. Cullen accused the Austrian of deliberately slowing play to disrupt his rhythm, calling it "cheating" in a post-match statement on X.
"I never do this as provocation. I play this way for my game. Sorry, Joe-I love you, man," Suljovic responded, denying any intentional gamesmanship.
The PDC lacks a strict time limit for matches but considers deliberate slow play unsportsmanlike conduct.
Other key results
Australia's Damon Heta, the 16th seed, battled back from 2-1 down to edge out Swiss debutant Stefan Bellmont 3-2. He will face 2018 champion Rob Cross, who survived a nervy 3-1 win over Ian White.
German Martin Schindler advanced with a dominant 3-0 victory over Keane Barry, while Krzysztof Ratajski and Luke Woodhouse also progressed to the third round.
Afternoon and evening fixtures
The tournament resumes on Tuesday with eight matches, including clashes between Darren Beveridge and Madars Razma, and former world number one James Wade against Ricky Evans. The evening session features top seed Luke Humphries against veteran Paul Lim.
Littler, who has fueled a surge in darts' popularity since his breakthrough, will return to action after Christmas, eyeing back-to-back titles.
