Luke Littler, the world number one, secured his place in the quarter-finals of the World Matchplay after a thrilling 11-8 win against Nathan Aspinall. The match, held at Winter Gardens in Blackpool, saw Littler achieve a nine-darter.
The Warrington teenager began the contest with a perfect leg, concluding on double 15. The crowd’s reaction was met by Littler cupping his ears, while Aspinall responded with a high five, despite laughing in disbelief. Excitement continued into the fourth leg when Littler narrowly missed a second nine-darter, with his arrow landing just off the mark for double 15.
Aspinall engaged with the crowd, humorously offering his darts, but he remained competitive, drawing level at 7-7. However, Littler, the defending champion, then claimed the subsequent three legs. Although Aspinall briefly rallied, a missed ‘tops’ in the 19th leg allowed Littler to check out 52, sealing his victory with an average of 113.68, which stands as the second-highest in the tournament’s history, and included 14 180s.
Littler commented on the nine-darter, stating it “just happened” and noted the crowd’s shift from booing to cheering. He described the match as potentially the best he and Nathan have played against each other, acknowledging Aspinall’s persistent effort. Littler expressed satisfaction with his performance and hopes to secure the title again, focusing on his next opponent.
Quarter-Finals and Other Results
Littler is set to face Josh Rock in the quarter-finals, a player who delivered an impressive 11-6 victory over Stephen Bunting. The two previously met in last year’s Matchplay semi-final.
In other matches, Michael van Gerwen’s campaign concluded with a 14-12 defeat to fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode. Van Gerwen had recovered from an 8-4 deficit to level the match at 10-all before Van Duijvenbode closed out the contest.
Scotland’s Gary Anderson also advanced to the last eight, overcoming Welshman Jonny Clayton with an 11-7 win.
The World Matchplay commenced on Saturday, July 18, and is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, July 26. The tournament features nine days of competition.
Aiming for Consecutive Titles
Luke Littler is aiming to become the first player in a decade to achieve successive titles at the World Matchplay. Michael van Gerwen last accomplished this feat in 2015 and 2016. The tournament has a history of dominance, notably by Phil Taylor, who secured 15 wins between 1994 and 2014.
Van Gerwen continued this trend, winning in 2015 and 2016, defeating James Wade and then Taylor himself. Leading into these tournaments, Van Gerwen held multiple titles, including the World Grand Prix, European Championship, Masters, and UK Open.
By 2016, his accolades also included the World Matchplay, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals, and Premier League titles, and he was world number one. Despite this dominance, Van Gerwen only managed to win the Matchplay once more.
Littler, who is currently world number one, holds titles such as the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals, World Championship, World Masters, UK Open, and Premier League. He has also won the last two World Championships.
The outcome of the Matchplay is seen as significant for Littler’s year, potentially influencing his pursuit of a clean sweep of titles. If he retains the title, it could propel him to participate in further tournaments, such as the event in Minehead.
The World Matchplay schedule for Wednesday includes matches such as Cameron Menzies against Ross Smith, Gerwyn Price facing Rob Cross, Gian van Veen playing Wessel Nijman, and James Wade competing against Ryan Searle.
The action for these matches is set to begin at 19:15 BST.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
