Reigning champion Luke Littler advanced to the quarter-finals of the UK Open with a comfortable 10-5 victory over Gary Anderson, while world number one Luke Humphries was eliminated 10-6 by Danny Noppert. Littler, who had narrowly edged past Kevin Doets 10-8 in the fifth round earlier on Saturday, raised his game against Anderson, speeding into a 4-1 lead. Anderson briefly threatened a comeback by taking the seventh leg against the throw, but Littler reimposed his authority to lead 7-3 at the second break and sealed the win with double top in the 16th game.
In other key matches, world number four Michael van Gerwen was trounced 10-3 by James Wade in a battle of three-time tournament champions, with Wade averaging more than 105. Gerwyn Price staged a remarkable fightback from 9-4 down to beat Ireland's Keane Barry 10-9. Elsewhere, Josh Rock triumphed 10-7 against Stephen Bunting in the opening match of Saturday's evening session on the main stage.
On the second stage, Premier League leader Jonny Clayton beat Martin Lukeman 10-7, hitting eight maximums, and Rob Cross overcame Daryl Gurney 10-6. World championship semi-finalist Ryan Searle was eliminated after falling 10-5 to Krzysztof Ratajski. The quarter-final matchups are set: Krzysztof Ratajski v Josh Rock, James Wade v Rob Cross, Luke Littler v Danny Noppert, and Jonny Clayton v Gerwyn Price.
