PDC Winmau World Masters 2026 Roundup | Luke Littler survives scare as Luke Humphries starts title-defence in style in Milton Keynes
PDCSaturday, 31 January 2026 at 00:34
Friday night’s closing session of the opening round at the PDC Winmau World Masters 2026 delivered a reminder of how unforgiving the format can be, as fine margins, missed chances, and sudden momentum shifts defined a long and demanding evening in Milton Keynes.
Luke Littler was pushed to the brink before eventually edging through a dramatic five-set contest, while defending champion Luke Humphries recovered from early inefficiency to impose control and advance with authority.
Across the card, strong finishing proved decisive for Danny Noppert, sustained pressure carried Josh Rock through early danger, and Rob Cross absorbed a late rally to progress.
The performance of the session belonged to Luke Woodhouse, while Stephen Bunting steadied himself late on to close the opening round.
Littler survives despite efficiency issues on the doubles
On raw scoring output, Littler created enough separation from Mike De Decker to close the match earlier than he did. Missed chances ensured otherwise.
Littler averaged 98.62 compared to De Decker’s 91.42 and dominated the scoring phase, landing seven 180s to his opponent’s one. That advantage translated into frequent looks at the outer ring, but his 31.6 percent checkout rate, six from 19, allowed De Decker to stay in contention despite being consistently outscored.
The opening set reflected that imbalance immediately. Littler opened with two maximums in the first leg and secured the set with a 14-dart hold on double ten, but the second turned on finishing. De Decker punished missed doubles and closed the set with the standout checkout of the match, a 121 on the bull, levelling the contest.
Momentum swung decisively from there. De Decker won four legs in succession to move a set ahead and then to within one of victory, doing so without matching Littler’s scoring volume. Littler halted the run with a 10-dart leg after threatening perfection, but the pressure remained.
The match turned on missed finishes late on. De Decker missed double 11 for a match-winning 142, then narrowly missed the bull for a 161 in the deciding phase. Littler stayed alive and eventually cleaned up 30 on double five to complete a 3-2 escape that owed as much to survival as dominance.
Humphries raises level after early inefficiency
Humphries’ opening-round meeting with Dave Chisnall began with scoreboard frustration despite immediate scoring authority.
The defending champion averaged 104.13 to Chisnall’s 86.75 and applied sustained pressure throughout, throwing seven 180s and nine 140-plus scores. That dominance was not reflected early on as Humphries missed multiple darts for the opening set, allowing Chisnall to take an early lead.
From the second set onward, the statistical balance shifted decisively. Humphries broke throw with a 96 checkout and lifted his tempo, levelling the match with a sequence of short legs. His 35 percent checkout rate, seven from 20, proved sufficient once Chisnall’s opportunities dried up under pressure.
Back-to-back 11-dart legs moved Humphries to the brink, and although he missed the bull for a 170 finish late on, Chisnall was unable to apply pressure. Humphries returned to pin double four and secured a 3-1 win that grew increasingly controlled as it progressed.
| Luke Humphries | VS | Dave Chisnall |
|---|---|---|
| 104.13 | Average (3 Darts) | 86.75 |
| 9 | 100+ Thrown | 11 |
| 9 | 140+ Thrown | 3 |
| 7 | 180 Thrown | 2 |
| 96 | Highest Checkout | 40 |
| 0 | Checkout 100+ | 0 |
| 35 | Checkout percentage | 27.3 |
| 7 / 20 | Checkout | 3 / 11 |
Rock absorbs early danger before pulling clear
Josh Rock was forced to navigate early difficulty against Connor Scutt before asserting control.
Scutt took advantage of Rock’s early double trouble to claim the opening set, holding throw comfortably while Rock’s miss tally climbed, particularly on double two. Those misses did not translate into lasting damage, however, as Rock stabilised and gradually imposed his scoring volume.
After levelling the contest, Rock accelerated sharply, winning six legs on the spin to move clear. Although his checkout percentage remained modest at 29.2 percent, the pressure he applied limited Scutt to just two successful finishes from seven attempts.
By the closing stages, Rock was threatening to finish emphatically, narrowly missing the bull for a 170 before returning to tidy up and complete a 3-1 victory that belied the early danger.
Cross halts Searle comeback attempt
Rob Cross’ victory over Ryan Searle was shaped by early control and late composure.
Cross broke throw in the opening leg and claimed the first set without reply as Searle struggled on double top. With a checkout success rate of 46.7 percent, seven from 15, Cross ensured early dominance translated into a clear scoreboard advantage.
Searle mounted a response in the latter stages, producing a 10-dart leg and breaking throw to open the fourth set. Any momentum was short-lived. Cross immediately responded with an 11-dart break of his own, restoring control at a critical moment.
The match was settled when Searle missed a dart at double 15 to force a deciding set. Cross stepped in on double ten to close out a 3-1 win built on timing rather than sustained scoring superiority.
Noppert edges Gurney as finishing proves decisive
Danny Noppert’s contest with Daryl Gurney was decided on conversion rather than volume scoring.
Noppert averaged 99.3 to Gurney’s 95.85 and converted seven of 12 checkout attempts for a 58.3 percent success rate. Gurney, by contrast, finished just four of 16, repeatedly missing chances to capitalise on scoring pressure despite hitting more maximums.
Noppert set the tone with a 103 checkout in the opening set and moved quickly into a lead. Gurney responded to level the match, but missed opportunities on the bull continued to undermine his efforts.
The pivotal swing came in the third set. Gurney missed the bull for a 161, and Noppert immediately replied with a 105 checkout using the 25 and double 20 twice. Noppert maintained control thereafter, closing the match on double eight to secure a 3-1 win.
Woodhouse delivers the standout performance of the session
Luke Woodhouse produced one of the most complete displays of the opening round in a commanding straight-sets win over Martin Schindler.
Woodhouse averaged 108.64 and combined that scoring power with a 54.5 percent checkout rate, landing six of 11 attempts. He opened with a maximum and sealed the first set with a clinical 136 finish, immediately establishing control.
Schindler briefly threatened resistance in the second set, but Woodhouse broke throw decisively and continued to pull clear, repeatedly finishing legs before Schindler could apply pressure. The third set followed the same pattern, with Woodhouse closing out a 3-0 victory without allowing his opponent a foothold.
Woodhouse put in the performance of the opening round in Milton Keynes
Bunting steadies himself to close the opening round
Stephen Bunting rounded off Friday night by navigating a fluctuating contest against Jeffrey de Graaf, eventually pulling clear for a 3-1 win to complete the opening round.
Bunting averaged 98.96 to De Graaf’s 89.61, a gap that reflected stronger overall scoring without fully insulating him from pressure. He broke throw early and edged through the opening set despite double trouble, eventually pinning double one to move ahead.
The second set swung sharply. De Graaf broke throw with a composed 72 finish and punished further missed chances from Bunting to level the match, briefly taking control with a last-dart double 16.
From that point, Bunting tightened his grip. He steadied in the third set, holding throw to halt the momentum before breaking on double 16 to move back in front. With the scoring balance restored, Bunting won three legs on the spin and returned to double six to close out the match and bring the opening round to an end.
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