Gary Anderson decided to abandon his match against Martin Schindler at the sixth Players Championship tournament on Tuesday due to a shoulder injury.
Anderson had reached the final of the fifth Players Championship the previous day before losing to Raymond van Barneveld in a close encounter.
He looked well on his way to another final appearance on Tuesday after beating Haupai Puha, Brett Claydon and Robbie Knops to reach the fourth round.
That set up a tough battle against Schindler, who sits just one spot below Anderson in the PDC Order of Merit.
Gary Anderson conceded the match due to injury
PDC
The match was level at 3-3 in a tight affair, but Anderson appeared in some discomfort as the tie went on.
Near the start of the seventh leg, Anderson hit three single 20s but groaned in agony after throwing his third dart.
As the Scotsman went up to collect his darts, Anderson appeared to inform the referee that he could no longer continue.
Schindler was getting ready for his next throw, but stepped back from the oche as Anderson approached.
The 53-year-old made it clear he was conceding the match to Schindler as the pair shook hands.
Anderson grimaced while looking at the referee in an attempt to showcase the level of pain he was experiencing in his shoulder.
Schindler appeared stunned by the situation and shrugged his shoulders before Anderson made a quick exit.
That gave the 27-year-old a walkover victory into the quarter-finals, but he failed to capitalise on the unexpected opportunity.
He lost 6-2 to Dave Chisnall in the very next round as the Englishman went on to win the tournament.
Gary Anderson shook hands with a confused Martin Schindler
PDC
“This win is massive for me. I know I can beat the best, and I can be one of the best,” Chisnall said after his victory.
“I had a chat with my manager before I came over here. This is a tournament I was considering not turning up to to get more time with the family, but I turned up and won.
“It is still a great field here, all 128 players can play darts. I knew I needed to dig in after yesterday and I have played really really well today.”
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Gary Anderson grimaced in pain at one point
PDC
Luke Littler was absent from both Players Championship events this week with the teenager attempting to manage his busy schedule.
The 17-year-old will be back in action on Thursday evening for the eighth Premier League evening of the season in Dublin.
He's still waiting for his first Premier League night win having reached the semi-final stage five times.