Luke Littler crashed out of the non-televised Players Championship 13 against 116th ranked Robert Grundy.
Littler has had a phenomenal 2024 so far since bursting on the scene as a teenager and reaching the final of the World Darts Championship in January and then becoming Premier League champion.
But in the 13th edition of the PDC Players Championship this year, Littler had a moment to forget in Milton Keynes against a much lower ranked opponent.
Littler took on Grundy, who is ranked 91 places behind him in the PDC order of Merit, and fell to a seismic 6-5 defeat after a struggling performance.
The 17-year-old simply failed to get going, and posted a three-dart average of just 79.02, which is something that has rarely been seen during his emergence on the PDC professional tour.
His rival was thrilled having posted an average of 88.51, which was enough to get him over the line and secure a spot in the next round.
It was a tough day at the office for Littler in the 13th week of the event in Milton Keynes, but he will be hoping to bring an upturn in form after a break in recent weeks.
He had been excited about his return, posting on Instagram: “About time I got back to playing darts, don’t ya think? Arrived in MK ready for [the] players champs.”
In the Players Championships’, the 128 highest-ranked players compete over 30 weeks to reach the finals of the event which are held in Minehead in November.
Littler has already had success in the behind-closed-doors stages, having won the opening week of the tournament in February.
During that run, he pinned a sensational nine-darter against Michele Turetta and has fared well so far in the tournaments up until this point.
The talented star will now be hoping to get back to to form at the tournament’s next leg tomorrow in time for the upcoming World Matchplay major which begins in Blackpool on July 13.
Littler decided to take a break prior to the Players Championship campaign to recharge his batteries after picking up the Premier League title in May.
He was not eligible to represent England at the World Cup Of Darts with higher ranked Luke Humphries and Michael Smith carrying the nation to victory.
But training partner Rob Cross has insisted he will be even more of a threat at Winter Gardens later this month after some time away from the oche.
Cross said: “It was always going to be a test of Luke’s stamina with all the travelling this year.
“We all know what he’s capable of on the dartboard. But it’s the travelling that kills you. Fatigue can be the biggest downfall of any player, no matter how talented you are.
“To be fair, Luke has handled everything thrown his way incredibly well. He’s coped with all the media attention and travelling so far.
“He won the Premier League and five other titles when the calendar was very busy.
“Now he’s had a break for a few weeks and not played in the World Cup, he will take some stopping. He’s even more dangerous now.
“Nothing seems to bother him. He’ll love playing in Blackpool, it’s local to him and I just see him turning up and dominating once again.”