Luke Humphries, the reigning world champion, faced defeat in the final of the eighth Players Championship event after Luke Littler made an unexpected early exit.
Humphries had a strong run in Leicester, defeating Gary Anderson and Chris Dobey on his way to the final, where he ultimately lost 8-6 to Danny Noppert.
Noppert's precise finishing proved crucial in overcoming Humphries.
Meanwhile, Luke Littler, the 17-year-old sensation, faced an early exit after losing 6-5 to Kevin Doets in the third round.
Despite recent successes in the Premier League, including back-to-back wins, Littler missed a crucial double in the deciding leg, leading to his second consecutive early departure from the tournament.
In another surprising turn, Michael van Gerwen was knocked out in the last-32 stage, losing 6-4 to Andrew Gilding.
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