Littler's undefeated ranking season ends with World Series loss

Luke Littler's undefeated season in ranking events came to an end on Saturday, September 20, 2026, when he was defeated 10-4 by Jonny Clayton in the quarterfinals of the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The loss marked the 19-year-old's first major defeat of the calendar year, a season in which he had won every ranking event he entered. The quarterfinal loss followed a contentious second-round match against Nathan Aspinall, where crowd whistling disrupted Littler's play and required referee intervention. During that match, referee Charlie Corstophine halted play to address the audience, stating, "Ladies and gentlemen, please, out of respect to both of the players, please do not whistle whilst they are throwing." Littler had narrowly advanced past Aspinall 10-9 in a last-leg decider, a match in which he missed 22 darts at a double. He admitted to lacking confidence in the early stages of that contest. "I only played well in the last session from 6-6 onwards. In the first two sessions, I didn't feel confident," Littler said after the Aspinall match. In the quarterfinal, Clayton capitalized on Littler's off-form performance.