World number one Humphries suffered a second successive quarter-final defeat losing 6-4 to Van Gerwen.

Humphries led 4-1 but Van Gerwen supberly fought back and showed signs of his best in averaging 104 to reel off five successive legs for the win.

Cross moved to within a win of the play-off spots with a 6-5 victory over Gerwyn Price, who was playing in his home event.

The pair exchanged breaks but Cross progressed with a 170 checkout in a final-leg decider, before losing 6-2 to Littler in the semi-finals.

Stephen Bunting, who is playing in the tournament for the first time in 10 years, is still without a win after a 6-2 defeat by Chris Dobey.

Bunting posted on X to say he was “absolutely gutted” and that he was making him himself “so nervous because I care and want to perform to my best”.

The two points gained by Dobey were his first since reaching the final in week one.

Week eight in Newcastle on 27 March sees the league reach the halfway point and the fixtures are decided by the current table, with leader Littler facing eighth-placed Bunting and second plays seventh, third against sixth and fourth v fifth.