Luke Littler boosted his hopes of a record-breaking seventh nightly win in the Premier League with a scrappy 6-5 win against Josh Rock in his opening match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
Littler saw his 10-match winning run halted by arch-rival Luke Humphries in last week’s semi-finals in Birmingham and looked out of sorts despite making a winning start on Night 16, the last round before next week’s Finals Night at the O2 in London.
The teenage back-to-back world champion, who had won the previous three events in Liverpool, Aberdeen and Leeds, averaged below 90 against Rock before an 11-dart finish saw him level it up at 4-4.
Northern Irishman Rock, 25, then needed 13 attempts at double to send it to a decider at 5-5, but Littler took it to scrape through to a semi-final against Humphries or Michael van Gerwen.
Jonny Clayton, already assured of his place on Finals Night and a second-placed finish in the table, lost 6-3 to Stephen Bunting in the quarter-finals.
Bunting will face Gerwyn Price in the last four after the Ice Man made light work of 2026 World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen, producing a 112 checkout to seal a 6-2 win.
Defending champion Humphries qualified for Finals Night with his victory on Night 15 last week, beating Price in the final for his first nightly win of the season.
There was little on the line on Night 16 in Sheffield as Humphries clinched the final top-four place at the O2 next Thursday alongside league winner Littler, Clayton and Price.
