Littler cruises into round four but Bunting beaten

Stephen Bunting, the tournament’s fourth seed, rose to the position of the top 16 after Luke Littler, the world’s number one, put on a strong performance to earn a spot in the last 16.

Littler’s victory over Austria’s Mensur Suljovic, who he won by a score of more than 107 runs him in, demonstrates why he is the man to beat at Alexandra Palace.

The 18-year-old from Warrington is attempting to keep his PDC world title, which has not been accomplished since Gary Anderson of Scotland won back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016.

The world number four, James Hurrell, the other Englishman, and world number 63, who had already defeated Littler in a deciding set, were seeded to face Bunting in the semi-finals.

Bunting, who has twice qualified for the Alexandra Palace semi-finals, was at his best when he found the right clinical ton-plus finishes to lead the match through to the seventh set.

Hurrell, however, held on to his consistent form throughout the match, winning with a 100 checkout.

Littler’s third-round match was a time bomb, with some preparations centered on how to handle Joe Cullen, the Austrian’s second-round opponent, who had irritated him with his slower style.

That quickly vanished if there was a concern that it would affect the teenager.

In any of the first seven legs, Suljovic did not dart twice, let alone to win one. At the conclusion of the second set, he left the stage with a big smile and his arms outstretched as if to tell his fans that Littler had no idea what to do with his talent.

Although Littler ensured that he would maintain his set-undropping streak in this tournament, the former World Matchplay finalist eventually won his third set.

Fifth seed Jonny Clayton needed a decisive set to defeat world number 44 Niels Zonneveld in Saturday’s afternoon match.

The first six sets of a high-quality match all featured a throw, with Clayton moving three times in front of Zonneveld.

The Dutch left-hander continued to respond with a strong display, but Clayton, who was the previous Premier League champion, found the crucial break in the crucial set before winning.

After taking a 12-day break, Welshman Clayton, 51, resumed his action after receiving a bye through round three for failing a drug test against his second-round opponent Dom Taylor.

Andreas Harrysson, who defeated Germany’s Ricardo Pietreczko 4-2 later on Saturday, will face Clayton in round four.

The 25th seed, Luke Woodhouse, defeated fellow Englishman Andrew Gilding 4-1 to advance to the fourth round for the second year in a row.

After trailing 3-1, Woodhouse will next face Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski, who defeated Dutchman Wesley Plaisier in a decisive set.

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