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16-year-old Luke Littler beat Rob Cross 6-2 in the semi-final to move one win away from Alexandra Palace glory. Littler will face Luke Humphries in the final. Return to the World Darts Championship Final on Wednesday from 7.30pm – live on Sky Sports Darts
6:03, UK, Wednesday, January 3, 2024
16-year-old Luke Littler is making history at the World Darts Championship and is just one victory away from becoming the youngest ever champion.
Nicknamed ‘The Nuke’, the teenager’s sensational performance made him the youngest player to reach the finals and earned him praise from his fellow players.
Here we look back at Littler’s remarkable journey to Wednesday’s final at Alexandra Palace. There he will face pre-tournament favorite and new world number one Luke Humphries…
Littler sat in the studio and chatted with Emma Payton and Mark Webber after making it to the finals.
Littler crushes Kist in Ally Parry debut
Round 1: (106.12) Luke Littler 3-0 Christian Quist (90.55)
“It started with a kiss, but I never thought it would turn out like this.” sky sports Commentator Rod Studd said these words quite poetically while repeating Hot Chocolate lyrics ahead of Littler’s semi-final match against Rob Cross.
It all started on December 20th, when darts’ newest superstar defeated 2012 Lakeside Champion Kist in straight sets in Ally Pally’s debut.
Littler showed skill and poise far beyond his years, defeating Christian Quist in the first round.
Littler dropped his best average of the tournament, posting a score of 106.12, just above his sensational semi-final mark of 106.05, and showed his ability on the world stage, falling just two shots away from an impressive opening victory.
Gold-plating Goner as Littlemania runs wild
Round 2: (92.65) Luke Littler 3-1 Andrew Gilding (92.09)
Teenager Littler defeats Andrew Gilding to advance to third round
In perhaps the most nerve-wracking development for Littler, the first two sets both came down to deciding final legs, but British Open champion Andrew Gilding took the third set 3-0 to take the set to 2. Despite being down -1, they actually led 7-6 in the leg they won.
There was little that separated the two players other than their 37-year age difference, and Littler averaged just 92.09 points in the match.
However, Littler was unfazed by Gilding’s mid-match charge and ultimately won the fourth set 3-1, defeating the 20th seed and advancing to the third round.
Calm Littler sails past Campbell
Round 3: (97.19) Luke Littler 4-1 Matt Campbell (91.29)
History was made on the Ally Pally stage as Littler became the youngest player ever to reach the last 16 of the World Championships, but it wasn’t the last.
Campbell watched in awe as 16-year-old Littler performed this impressive 130 checkout.
‘The Nuke’ had a relatively straight victory over Canadian Matt Campbell, who had a strong showing in the previous round, defeating 13th seed and four-time semi-finalist James Wade.
Again, this wasn’t Littler’s best performance of the entire tournament, but it was a hot start to the contest as the 16-year-old took a 3-0 lead in sets and headed into the second round. It is certain that it became. They won their first two games comfortably without dropping a single game.
Littler produced this amazing 164 finish against Matt Campbell
Bernie loses due to destructive play
Round 4: (105.01) Luke Littler 4-1 Raymond van Barneveld (99.61)
Littler’s best record was replaced by a box-office four-round match with darts legend and five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
In their last-16 clash at Alexandra Palace, Littler proved he has always been a fan of Raymond van Barneveld! Credit:@LukeTheNuke180
Facing the very player he had imitated as a child, Littler was not only impressed by the star, but far from being overwhelmed by the occasion, he himself blew away Barney, who weighed about a ton on average.
He won each of the first three sets, was pushed into the final leg in the third set, and despite losing the fourth set, calmly grabbed his most memorable victory in the fifth set.
Littler ignored the big fish and knocked out Raymond van Barneveld with double 15 to advance to the quarterfinals.
Littler breaks ton average again, defeats Dolan
Quarterfinals: (101.93) Luke Littler 5-1 Brendan Dolan (86.45)
A badly colored Brendan Dolan was cruelly and comfortably sent off in the quarter-finals, but the Northern Irishman was nowhere near the form that shocked former champions Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson in the previous round. Ta.
Littler hit the 20-second treble twice before pausing before attempting to reel in the big fish with Brendan Dolan.
While Dolan was averaging barely above 80 for much of the match, Littler made the most of it, taking a 4-0 lead and ending the match after a few sets.
“There aren’t enough words to describe what he’s doing.” Sky Sports” Wayne Mardle said afterwards: “A 16-year-old doesn’t perform like this…He’s an absolute darts freak – and it’s a show of love. The world should stand up and take notice.”
Wayne Mardle praised Littler after he made it to the finals
Former champion Cross wins in the semi-finals
Semi-finals: (106.05) Luke Littler 6-2 Rob Cross (102.77)
Michael van Gerwen, Barneveld and Anderson were the only players in the semi-finals to average more than Littler’s 106.05 points in cross battles (until Humphries later overpowered Scott Williams with 108.74 points). ).
Watch the moment Littler qualified for the World Darts Championship final.
Littler posted incredible checkouts of 132, 142, and 147 for a 6-2 victory. It surpassed the winner in 2018.
“It’s crazy to be able to play in the World Championship final on my debut,” he said after the match. “I’m glad we won one game.” What he needs now is one more win, the biggest of them all, to make more history.
Watch the World Darts Championship final live on Sky Sports Darts on 3 January 2024.Stream Sky Sports Darts without a contract now
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