Defending champion Luke Littler stormed into the semi-finals of the 2026 Betfred World Matchplay, dismantling Josh Rock 16-7 on Thursday night at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool.
The 19-year-old delivered a spectacular performance. He posted a 109.57 average. He fired in 17 maximums and recorded a 53 percent success rate on his doubles.
Following the dominant win, the reigning champion issued a stark warning to his upcoming opponent. He simply stated, “Good luck to Dirk…”
Littler will face Dirk van Duijvenbode in the semi-finals. The unseeded Dutchman secured his spot earlier in the evening by surviving a late rally from 2018 champion Gary Anderson to close out a 16-13 victory.
Littler is now bidding to become the first player in a decade to win back-to-back World Matchplay titles since Michael van Gerwen. He previously became the youngest winner in the tournament’s history at age 18 in 2025.
This quarter-final masterclass follows Littler’s incredible second-round match on Tuesday. He hit a nine-dart finish in the opening leg of his 11-8 win over Nathan Aspinall, recording a 113.68 average in that session.