World Darts Championship 2026 results: Justin Hood and Jonny Clayton through to quarter-finals

Popular English debutant Justin Hood produced a finishing masterclass to eliminate 11th seed Josh Rock and reach the PDC World Championship quarter-finals.

The 32-year-old hit his first 11 attempts at doubles in an astonishing display, missing for the first time when trying to take out 143 to win the match in straight sets.

That was the first of four match darts he missed in that leg, but he got the job done in the next, to the delight of the Alexandra Palace crowd who chanted his name throughout.

Rock could only shake his head and smile in disbelief at the back of the stage as Hood continued to land double after double.

Hood has previously said he would like to open a Chinese restaurant with his World Championship earnings – which currently stand at £100,000 – but he will first prepare for a quarter-final against either Michael van Gerwen or Gary Anderson on Thursday.

He told Sky Sports: «It’s not a fairytale – I know what I can do and it’s nice to prove it up there. The only time I felt some nerves was when I was throwing to win it and then at the end.»

Hood, who began the tournament ranked 86th in the world, is provisionally into the top 50 thanks to his victory over Northern Ireland’s Rock – who had been tipped as a potential tournament winner.

Earlier, Welsh fifth seed Jonny Clayton saw off the challenge of Swedish debutant Andreas Harrysson to set up a last-eight tie with England’s Ryan Searle.

Harrysson missed chances in the fifth set to take a 3-2 lead, while five of the six sets played went to a deciding leg.

«Every time I looked up, Andreas was hitting doubles,» said Clayton.

«It was tough. I didn’t play my best and had a lot of loose darts, but that’s what pressure does to you. Andreas kept me under pressure all the time.»

Clayton’s victory means he is provisionally up to fourth in the PDC world rankings and would qualify automatically for next year’s Premier League if he is still in that spot at the end of the tournament.

In Tuesday’s opening match, Poland’s Krzysztof Ratajski beat 25th seed Luke Woodhouse 4-2 to set up a quarter-final against defending champion Luke Littler.

Woodhouse missed double 12 for a nine-dart finish in the third set, which would have been the first perfect leg of the tournament and would have earned the Englishman an additional £60,000.

The fourth round will be completed later on Tuesday, with three more quarter-finalists to be decided.

Two former champions meet as Van Gerwen takes on Anderson, while 2024 winner and world number two Luke Humphries is up against unseeded Dutchman Kevin Doets.

The evening session gets under way with 20-year-old Englishman Charlie Manby’s match against 10th seed and World Youth Championship winner Gian van Veen of the Netherlands.

From 19:00 GMT:

All four quarter-final matches (best of nine sets) to be played on 1 January 2026