Luke Littler and Luke Humphries progressed with authority into the evening session of the 2026 Poland Darts Open, but Sunday afternoon's Last 16 action in Krakow was far from routine. Nathan Aspinall and Jonny Clayton were both eliminated in tight contests, while Wessel Nijman produced one of the standout displays of the session to dismantle Cameron Menzies.
Littler shifted gears after an early scare against Ross Smith, who broke immediately and raced into a 2-0 lead. Once the world number one found his rhythm, the contest turned decisively. A 90 checkout sparked the response before a 70 finish put him 4-2 ahead, and double 11 sealed a 6-2 win. Littler averaged 100.07 and landed five 180s. Humphries was even more comfortable, dispatching Boris Krcmar 6-1 with an 89 checkout setting the tone and double 10 wrapping up a straightforward progression. He averaged 96.41 and struck three maximums.
Michael Smith delivered one of the afternoon's biggest results, defeating recent Premier League winner Jonny Clayton 6-4. A superb 114 checkout helped Smith build a 4-1 advantage before Clayton briefly threatened a comeback, but Smith steadied to seal victory on double five. Gian van Veen eliminated Nathan Aspinall in a high-quality 6-5 decider. Aspinall struck early with a 127 checkout against the throw and later moved 4-2 ahead, but Van Veen responded with a crucial 122 finish to level at 4-4 before nudging ahead 5-4 with a 70 checkout. Aspinall forced a deciding leg, but Van Veen held his nerve on double 16.
Wessel Nijman produced arguably the most dominant display, averaging 102 and finishing 60 per cent of his doubles in a 6-1 win over Cameron Menzies. A 116 checkout underlined the gulf as he surged 5-1 ahead, and a tidy 63 finish sealed the victory. Elsewhere, Stephen Bunting impressed with a 6-1 victory over Jermaine Wattimena, averaging 100.09 and producing a clinical 136 checkout to break and move 5-1 ahead. Josh Rock recovered from 2-0 down to defeat Cristo Reyes 6-3, and Chris Dobey delivered the comeback of the afternoon, overturning a 4-1 deficit to beat Luke Woodhouse 6-5, sealing the turnaround on double one.
