Littler surprised by Van Gerwen's afternoon slot at World Matchplay

Luke Littler began the defence of his World Matchplay title with a 10-6 first-round victory over Niko Springer on Saturday, then admitted he was startled to learn that Michael van Gerwen had been placed in Sunday's afternoon session.

The 19-year-old is the reigning world champion and World Matchplay holder, and arrives in Blackpool having retained the world title against Gian van Veen in January, kept the UK Open in March and won a second Premier League crown in May.

What happened

Littler described himself as pleased with the win over Springer, though he was frustrated not to carry a lead into the second interval, and said he would use the days before his next match to work on his finishing. His second-round opponent is Nathan Aspinall, who came through his opener against Joe Cullen 10-5.

• Littler beat Niko Springer 10-6 in the first round at the Winter Gardens
• Nathan Aspinall awaits in round two after a 10-5 win over Joe Cullen
• Van Gerwen plays Andrew Gilding in Sunday's afternoon session
• Van Gerwen's most recent major title came at the World Series of Darts Finals
• The World Matchplay final is scheduled for next Sunday

Why it matters

Littler called Van Gerwen's scheduling one of the biggest surprises of the tournament so far, noting that the three-time world champion is usually hungry for titles but has not been winning much lately. He also named Luke Humphries and Van Veen among the other contenders for the title, while stressing that his focus remains on his own side of the draw.

Sunday's play features several of the leading seeds, including world number three Van Veen, world number five Jonny Clayton and world number six James Wade. The Women's World Matchplay also takes place on the same day as the men's final, with Beau Greaves seeded first after becoming a seed in a PDC event for the first time at last month's Players Championship 22 in Wigan.