Luke Littler's quest for consecutive UK Open titles remains alive after he battled back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Danny Noppert 10-6 in the quarter-finals in Minehead. Noppert broke with a 66 checkout to lead 2-0 and held for 3-0, but Littler fought back, pinning double 20 to trail only 3-2 at the first break. After leveling at 4-4, Littler broke to go 6-5 up and then produced an incredible 161 checkout to extend his lead to 8-5. He sealed victory with an 81 checkout, having earlier fired an 11-darter on double 10.
In the standout clash of the session, Gerwyn Price triumphed 10-8 over his World Cup teammate Jonny Clayton in an all-Welsh battle. Price opened with a superb 152 checkout to lead 1-0 and held for 2-0, though Clayton stayed close, trailing 5-4 heading into a break. Price surged to 7-5 and, after being broken, broke back for 8-7 before moving to the brink at 9-7 with an 11-darter. Clayton kept it alive with a 140 checkout for 9-8, but Price sealed the deal with a 42 checkout. Price averaged 98.26 with seven 180s, while Clayton averaged 96.62 with five 180s.
James Wade kept his hopes for a fourth UK Open title alive by edging Rob Cross 10-9 in a gruelling thriller. Wade broke early with a 66 checkout to lead 3-1 and extended his advantage to 4-1 with a 90 checkout. Cross fought back to level at 7-7, but Wade broke with a 68 checkout to go 9-7 up. After Cross saved the match to force a decider, Wade pinned a 107 checkout to claim victory, hitting six 180s in the process.
Josh Rock advanced to a second successive UK Open semi-final with a 10-7 win over Krzysztof Ratajski, despite registering just one three-treble visit in the match. Ratajski broke early to lead 2-1 and maintained a narrow lead, but Rock turned the tide after trailing 6-4 at the break. He broke with a 12-darter on double 18 and won four legs in a row to lead 8-6, eventually sealing the win from there. The semi-finals will see Wade face Price and Littler take on Rock in Minehead.
