Jim Long beat Josh Rock 6-4 at the US Darts Masters in New York on Thursday night, knocking out the World Series seed and setting up a quarter-final against Luke Littler.
The Canadian Tour Card holder produced the standout shock of the opening session at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden, where the first round was played over the best of 11 legs.
Rock arrived as the eighth seed and one of the PDC representatives in a field built around the sport’s biggest names, but Long took the North American route into Friday’s last eight with a composed 6-4 win.
That result now puts Long directly in Littler’s path after the world No.1 came through his own opener against David Cameron. The updated first-round results and bracket were carried by The Sporting News’ US Darts Masters live scoreboard.
Long Gives North America A Headline Result
The wider picture remains strong for the PDC elite, with Littler, Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen, Gerwyn Price, James Wade and Jonny Clayton all advancing from their opening assignments.
But Long’s win changes the tone of the New York finale. Instead of Littler meeting another invited PDC name in the quarter-finals, the tournament gets a local-market storyline with a Canadian player trying to back up one upset by landing an even bigger one.
