Luke Littler, the defending World Matchplay champion, dropped a bomb on Winter Gardens, securing his spot in the quarter-finals with an absolute thriller against Nathan Aspinall. The man started the contest with a sensational, perfect leg, throwing a thrilling nine-darter and finishing on double 15 right out of the gate. That’s how you set the tone, folks!
The Nine-Darter and The Near Miss
Littler didn’t just win, he put on a show. After that opening perfect leg, the Warrington teenager cupped his ears, soaking up the roar from a delirious crowd while Aspinall, bless his heart, just laughed in disbelief and gave him a high five. You gotta respect that sportsmanship, even when your opponent is doing something wild like that. But here’s the kicker: in the fourth leg, Littler was this close to doing it again. He had double 15 remaining for a second nine-darter, only for his arrow to land just the wrong side of the wire. Can you imagine the scenes if he’d pulled that off? Aspinall even turned to the crowd, jokingly offering up his own darts, like “Does anyone else wanna give this kid a game?” Pure gold.
An Unbelievable Performance
Even with that near-miss, Aspinall refused to just roll over. He battled back, clawing his way level at 7-7. That’s the heart of a competitor, right there, refusing to give an inch. But Littler, the defending champ he is, hit another gear, reeling off the next three legs to put the pressure back on. Aspinall rallied one more time, but missed tops in the 19th leg, and Littler pounced. He checked out 52, sealing the victory with an unbelievable 113.68 average. That’s not just good; that’s the second highest average in the entire tournament’s history, featuring a mind-blowing 14 180s. We’re talking about a performance for the ages here. When Sky Sports caught up with him, Littler shrugged it off, saying, “The nine-darter just happened. These guys [the crowd] were booing me at the beginning and then they started cheering me on! It felt amazing and that was probably the best game Nathan and I have played against each other – it’s never over against Nathan because he never gives up.” He knows he’s on fire, telling them, “That’s two unbelievable performances from myself here.” Meanwhile, elsewhere in the tournament, we saw Michael van Gerwen’s campaign end after a tough 14-12 defeat to fellow Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode, who battled back from 8-4 down to level it at 10-all before losing. Also, Scotland’s Gary Anderson progressed with a solid 11-7 win over Welshman Jonny Clayton.
What’s Next for the Champ
So, who’s next for Littler after a performance like that? He’s set to face Josh Rock, who looked sharp himself with an 11-6 victory over Stephen Bunting. These two know each other well, having met in last year’s Matchplay semi-final, so expect some fireworks. If Littler keeps playing like this, with that kind of confidence and those insane numbers, he’s a serious threat to pick up that title again. He says he just has to focus on who he plays next, and honestly, that’s what you want to hear from a champion: laser focus. The pressure is on, the stakes are rising, and the darts world is absolutely watching every single throw.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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