Defending champion Luke Littler's World Grand Prix title defence concluded on the opening night in Leicester, as he was upstaged 2-1 by Luke Woodhouse. The 19-year-old, aiming to recover from a quarter-final exit in the World Series of Darts, lost a commanding position in the last 32 match.
Woodhouse, 37, secured the biggest win of his career by coming on strong in the final set of the double-in, double-out format competition. He went 2-0 ahead and then held off a Littler fightback.
In other opening night action, Michael van Gerwen's bid for a seventh World Grand Prix crown also ended prematurely. He lost 2-1 to Ryan Joyce after throwing away a one-set lead. Meanwhile, Wales' Gerwyn Price began his campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory over Polish debutant Sebastian Bialecki, averaging 101.61 and hitting three 180s.