Luke Littler falls at last-16 stage as Jeffrey de Graaf wins maiden PDC title
De Graaf recovered from a 4-1 deficit to beat Stephen Bunting 8-7 in the final and become the first Swedish player to win a Players Championship.
Luke Littler fell short in the last 16 as Sweden’s Jeffrey de Graaf claimed his first PDC ranking title at Players Championship 24 in Milton Keynes.
Littler survived a final-leg decider against Beau Greaves before the world champion, playing on the Pro Tour for the first time in five months, lost 6-4 to Rob Cross.
De Graaf recovered from a 4-1 deficit to beat Stephen Bunting 8-7 in the final, and told pdc.tv: “It means a lot, it’s my first title ever in the PDC so it’s a great, it’s fantastic.
“I’m happy to be the first [Swedish player to win a Players Championship title], but hopefully not the last.”
Littler had been pushed to the brink in his first meeting with Greaves, a three-time WDF women’s world champion, who averaged 102 compared to Littler’s 96.
The 21-year-old Greaves had already sealed a memorable win in the previous round when she claimed a 6-4 win over five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
Michael van Gerwen lost in the last 16 to Scott Williams, who had struck a nine-darter in his 6-0 whitewash over James Hurrell in the third round.