Luke Littler produced two scintillating displays to make it through to the knockout stages at the Grand Slam of Darts. The 17-year-old followed up his 5-0 win over Keane Barry with a 5-1 victory over Dimitri van den Bergh, and now looks a prime favourite for the tournament following the shock exit of Luke Humphries.
Littler averaged 108.30 in his second Group F match, slightly down on the 112.16 he notched in his opening game against Barry.
The Premier League champion will now take on Lourence Ilagan on Tuesday, but will do knowing he has already secured his place in the latter rounds.
And his hopes of going all the way have seemingly been elevated by the exit of Humphries. The world No.1 suffered a shock defeat to Rowby-John Rodriguez on Saturday night, and then failed to bounce back as he was beaten 5-3 by James Wade.
And after his second win, Littler acknowledged the significance of his rival going out. “The belief is growing,” he said. “Everyone was looking at the reigning champ Luke Humphries but he has gone out now. Maybe the eyes are on me now.
“But I’ve got to focus. Chill out tomorrow and come back Tuesday to top the group.”
But it’s not just Humphries who has suffered a surprise loss in Wolverhampton. Michael van Gerwen lost a thrilling contest against Gary Anderson 5-4, although can still advance from his group with a win over Ryan Joyce.
Michael Smith is also on the brink after being hammered 5-1 by Dutchman Jermaine Wattimena. He too still has the chance to escape from his group though, if he beats Mike De Decker on Monday.
Littler is chasing a third major title having prevailed in the 2024 World Series of Darts this year as well as the Premier League. And he also admitted he’s targeted improving his form in the big events.
“Obviously my major tournaments record isn’t the best record, so I just focused on tonight to make a statement,” he said. “I’m here to win.”
Despite his perfect record so far, Littler will still need to win his final group game to be sure of topping the group. And he claimed to be a fan of the format, which relates to one used regularly in European football
“Just like watching the football, the Champions League in the group stage,” he joked. “Leading up to it I’ve been practicing well, I’m just going to enjoy it. But I’m really glad tonight.”
