Michael Smith, who recently revealed his problems with arthritis, went out to Belgium’s Dimitri van den Bergh, while women’s world champion Beau Greaves slipped to a 6-4 defeat against Owen Bates on her Pro Tour debut.
Littler – beaten by Michael van Gerwen on the opening night of the Premier League in Belfast – had started with a 6-4 win over Canadian veteran Jim Long and then beat Martin Lukeman 6-3, but was averaging only 87.4.
World champion Luke Littler suffered a third-round exit from Players Championship One in Wigan, the opening event of the 2025 PDC ProTour season.
There were also early exits for former world champions Gary Anderson – who was beaten 6-4 by Ricky Evans in the first round – and Peter Wright, who lost by the same scoreline to Adam Hunt.
In the last 16, Humphries saw off Mike de Decker, who had beaten him in the 2024 World Grand Prix final.
