Luke Littler stated there were “no nerves tonight” as he secured his spot in the World Darts Championship semi-finals with a 5-2 win over Nathan Aspinall.
In a dominant display on New Year’s Day against Aspinall, Littler only dropped the third and sixth sets but remained uncatchable to set up an exciting semi-final clash with Stephen Bunting. Speaking after the match, the 17-year-old shared that he was completely at ease during the game.
Littler said: “I’ll be honest, no nerves tonight. I just absolutely enjoyed myself as I should be doing and hopefully tomorrow night I can just enjoy myself once again. And also, hopefully get the win over Stephen.”
When asked about feeling any stress in the quarter-final showdown, Littler revealed he’s never felt more at home, and is buzzing for the challenge ahead. He added: “Yeah, I’d say this World Championships is the best I’ve felt. I won’t say there were no nerves in that last set but I just thought to myself ‘get it over and done with now’.”
However, Littler’s journey at the Worlds hasn’t been without its emotional peaks. Earlier in the competition, after his win over Ryan Meikle, the 17-year-old tearfully rushed to his parents’ embrace, signalling the relief of the tense round.
Speaking to talkSPORT after the nail-biting match, the teenager confessed he struggled with self-doubt before taking to the stage. Littler said: “All week I was looking forward, excited to play on stage, no nerves. The train journey down here was fine, just being myself.
“And then as soon as I got on that stage, it was like, ‘I don’t want to be here.’ Just in my head. It was tough, but I dragged myself over the line.”
Littler added: “The first set was just absolute nerves. Obviously I broke him and then come on for the second set with the throw and just didn’t do awfully much about it. I always say after those two breaks, you say to yourself, ‘That’s it now, you’ve had your two breaks’.
“It was probably the toughest game I’ve ever played. I had to fight until the end. As soon as the question came on stage and then boom, the tears came. It was just a bit too much to speak on stage. It is the worst game I have played. I have never felt anything like that.
“Yes, probably the biggest time it’s [the nerves] hit me. Coming into it I was fine, but as soon as [referee] George Noble said ‘game on’, I couldn’t throw them.”
The transformation from nerves in the second-round to a quarter-finals victory was a testament to Littler’s ability to adapt and excel under tournament pressure, truly showing his potential for darting greatness. It also bodes well for the teenager’s route to the final, in a tournament he is the favourite to win.
Littler will face Bunting in one semi-final, while Chris Dobey and Michael van Gerwen will compete in the other. For the 17-year-old, it’s an opportunity to makeup for his second-place finish to Luke Humphries last year and become the youngest world champion in history.
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