- Littler broke down in tears after winning his third round match on Saturday
- He remains favourite to win the tournament early on next year and is in fine form
- The teenager missed a dart to log a record fifth nine-darter in the third round
Luke Littler has revealed why he has grown ‘frustrated’ at the World Darts Championship this winter.
The 17-year-old is the favourite to win the title next month on the back of being runner-up last year, when he lost against namesake Luke Humphries in the final in January.
He beat Ryan Meikle 3-1 in his second round game on Saturday night, and will be back in action this Saturday when he takes on Ian White, who beat Ritchie Edhouse in round two.
If all goes to plan, he is set to take on Humphries in the semi-final due to seeding, in a match that will pit the two best and most in-from players in the world against each other once again.
After beating Meikle, he broke down into tears as he embraced his parents, explaining after that he found it hard to relax on stage during a really difficult game.
Now, via Sky Sports, he has revealed why he is becoming ‘frustrated’ in the tournament – though it’s not for the worst reason.
Luke Littler has revealed why he is growing ‘frustrated’ at the World Darts Championship
The 17-year-old broke down into tears after his third-round win over Ryan Meikle on Saturday
He will, though, take on Ian White in the third round this weekend as he continues bid for glory
‘It’s definitely becoming a frustration in a good way,’ he said. ‘Obviously, as soon as you make the switch to the treble 19, your eyes light up.
‘I heard the camera pan around to the winner, so I’m sorry whoever you are! I’ll try again.’
Littler was talking about his nine-darter attempt, in which he once again missed double 12 to finish a leg in the fewest number of darts possible.
He’s not alone – with Damon Heta and Martin Schindler also missing doubles to secure nine-darters – with one logged in the tournament so far, by Christian Kist.
Tournament sponsors Paddy Power have paid out £180,000 as a result, and will do any other times the feat is achieved.
£60,000 goes to the player, £60,000 to charity and £60,000 to a lucky member of the crowd every time.
Had Littler hit the nine, it would have been his fifth of the year, and he would have become the first PDC player to have achieved the feat.
He missed ninth darts for perfects legs twice in his run to the final of the Grand Slam of Darts recently, and revealed that he was considering a different route to close out perfect legs. That wasn’t under consideration this time, though.
Littler also missed a dart for a nine-darter, which would have been his fifth of the year- a record
He is expected to meet rival and defending champion Luke Humphries in the semi-final
‘I didn’t even think about the 51,’ he admitted. ‘Throughout the game, the cover shots were OK.
‘I left 265 a few times and hit the treble 19 well, but I might have to take a moment to think about the treble 17.’
