Luke Littler's Players Championship Hopes Diminished by Quarter-Final Loss

Luke Littler's aspirations for qualifying for the Players Championship finals in November were impacted by his defeat to Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals of the 27th Players Championship in Leicester.

In a closely contested match, Littler, competing in his first Pro Tour event of 2026, was pushed to a last-leg decider where Wattimena secured victory with a 115 checkout, marking his first win against Littler in six encounters on the PDC tour.

Despite the loss, the 19-year-old remained optimistic, sharing a message on Instagram. With qualification for the finals crucial for his goal of completing a calendar sweep of ranking events, Littler currently ranks 141st after missing the first 26 events of the circuit. He is £22,250 behind the 64th position, held by Mario Vandenbogaerde, with seven events left to improve his standing.