Luke Littler is one game away from the World Darts Championship final with Stephen Bunting eyeing a major upset.
The teenager took care of Nathan Aspinall in his last-eight clash on New Year’s Day and will now face the man who ended Peter Wright‘s ambitions. Wright, a two-time champion, had dumped out Luke Humphries and was vocal about how he could compete with the top players.
Bunting took care of him though and now faces an even tougher task against Littler – last year’s beaten finalist. The 17-year-old admits there will be an expectation for him to get the job done, which is something he didn’t have to deal with last year.
He said: “Obviously Michael (van Gerwen) has been there numerous times, Chris is in his first, I’m in my second, and I know Bunting I think is in his first or second, so it’s going to be a good night. I felt the best I have in this tournament so far, so hopefully I can regroup and come back again and it can be the same feeling.
“We all know the expectation and it’s very different from last year, but tonight I felt the greatest and hopefully I can regroup and feel like I did on that stage tomorrow (Thursday).”
Van Gerwen will begin the night’s event and takes on Chris Dobey – having described his comments as “nonsense”. Dobey claimed it would be a “bit easier” playing Van Gerwen in the last four rather than Callan Rydz, who is from the same town as him in Bedlington.
Rydz was dispatched by the Dutchman and the former champion was happy to hit back. “People, when they win, they talk a lot of nonsense,” said Van Gerwen.
He added: “Dobey is a very interesting player to play against because he can produce something really good. So you always have to make sure you keep maintaining your own fire and everything because he’s a good player.”
Van Gerwen will play his ninth World Championship semi-final on Thursday and is aiming for a fourth world title, although he’s not won the title at Alexandra Palace since 2019. The 35-year-old did not win a televised tournament in 2024, which is the first time he has not won in a calendar year since 2011.
He’s been quizzed on whether he can become the ‘King of the Palace’ again and said: “That would be nice. People probably know the answer, but no, it’s a tough one. It’s a tough battle, but I love to face battles, and as long as I keep believing in my own ability, then the King will come back.”
Michael van Gerwen vs Chris Dobey
Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting
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