Luke Littler served up a darting masterclass during his quarter-final clash against Jermaine Wattimena at the Grand Slam in Wolverhampton, telling his opponent ‘I was just too good tonight’.
Littler recorded the biggest margin of victory in Grand Slam history when he beat Wattimena 16-2, confirming his fourth major TV semi-final appearance in the process.
There wasn’t a single department Wattimena was able to match Littler in, with the teenager outscoring his opponent from the first dart.
Littler finished the game with a 105 average, having thrown 12 180s and converted 60 per cent of his checkouts.
By contrast, Wattimena didn’t achieve a ton plus average, threw just five 180s and took only 18 per cent of his checkouts.
Littler wasn’t surprised by his performance though, with the World Championship runner-up full of confidence during his post-match debrief.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the win, Littler said: “I felt very confident coming into tonight, I just thought to myself it’s little bursts. ‘First to five break, first to five break.’
“I played so well, I’m so happy. Fair play to Jermaine. I was just too good tonight.”
He continued: “When you’re playing that good you feel it coming. Every time I go for a 180 they expect it [a nine-darter].
“As a player you do feel it coming, [got to] take time but hopefully it does come.”
The 17-year-old will now take on either Gian van Veen or Gary Anderson, with the duo going head-to-head in the evening’s other quarter-final clash.
After several big-name stars crashed out of the competition in the group stage, Littler is unsurprisingly the favourite to take home the title.
If expectations turn into reality for the youngster, it will mark his first-ever major title win.
Littler won the Premier League back in May, but despite pocketing £315,000 for his victory, the event doesn’t count towards the PDC rankings.
Regardless, Littler has impressed enough in the ranking competitions to rocket up the leaderboard, with the Runcorn-born star now targeting a spot in the top 16.
It’s a significant target for Littler considering several tournaments provide automatic qualification for players inside the top 16.
Elsewhere in Wolverhampton, Mickey Mansell and Martin Lukeman will meet in the semi-finals after beating Cameron Menzies and Rob Cross in their respective last-eight ties.
