Luke Littler’s hopes of qualifying for the Players Championship finals in November took a hit as he was defeated by Jermaine Wattimena in the quarter-finals of PC27 in Leicester.

Littler, playing in his first Pro Tour event in 2026, was forced into a last-leg decider, and the Dutchman hit a 115 checkout to claim his first victory in six meetings against Littler on the PDC tour.

The 19-year-old was in a positive mood afterwards though, posting “on the move” on Instagram.

Qualification for November’s finals is important for Littler as he aims to complete the calendar sweep of ranking events in 2026.

The top 64 players in the Players Championship qualify for Minehead in November and Littler, who skipped the first 26 events on the circuit, sits in 141st place after claiming £4,000 on Tuesday.

There are seven Players Championship events remaining for The Nuke to get in to the top 64 – including one on Wednesday at the same venue.

However, he has previously stated his intention to only feature in the UK events, meaning he would only have three more opportunities to climb up the order of merit.

Littler is currently £22,250 behind 64th-placed Mario Vandenbogaerde. Victory at one of the events earns you £15,000, while runners-up receive £10,000.