LAST UPDATE | 2 Jan
LUKE LITTLER WILL aim to move a step closer to World Darts Championship glory on Tuesday night — and his path became clearer after tournament favourite Michael van Gerwen crashed out.
The 16-year-old has taken Alexandra Palace by storm and became the youngest semi-finalist ever after he beat Fermanagh’s Brendan Dolan 5-1 in the quarter-final.
A semi-final against 2018 winner Rob Cross is next up, but he will no longer have to meet Van Gerwen in the final after the three-time champion suffered one of the biggest shocks in recent times, going out 5-3 to unseeded Scott Williams.
It was a new year, but the same old brilliance from the precocious Littler, who is on the cusp of producing one of the greatest sporting stories of all time.
And the teenager believes it is going to “take a lot” to stop his juggernaut.
“It feels unbelievable. I would never have thought I would have got to the semis on my debut year,” he said. “Brendan was just another opponent in my way and I have brushed him aside and now I am into the semi-final.
“It’s going to take a lot to stop me, based on my performances so far. But it is about whatever Luke Littler turns up.
“I have got the ability to go all the way, if it’s not to be tomorrow night, it’s not to be.
“I know I have got a good chance and I have got a good feeling I could go all the way tomorrow.”
Cross has enjoyed watching Littler’s emergence, but says there will be no room for sentiment. The 2018 champion produced one of the most memorable Alexandra Palace comebacks yesterday.
Cross looked dead and buried when he was 4-0 down after barely 45 minutes as Chris Dobey played one of the matches of his life before the former electrician sparked into life and reeled off five successive sets.
“Everyone loves an underdog story,” Cross said. “As the public and people looking at the game, everyone loves an underdog story.
“I am not being rude, I am on Luke’s side, I love an underdog story.
“It took a bit of pressure off me winning it first time as well.
“He’s fantastic and he deserves all the luck in the world, he is a nice, young boy. Tomorrow we play darts, though, and I have to go down to business.”
It has been quite a tournament for Williams, who had to apologise for insensitive comments about the war after beating Germany’s Martin Schindler earlier in the tournament, but he let his darts do the talking in a career-best performance, outscoring his illustrious opponent.
“Words don’t describe it, I am very, very happy,” he said of his famous win.
“Michael is probably the best player in my generation, to be here is crazy ridiculous, but he wasn’t the Michael van Gerwen we have seen over the last few games, but I don’t really care.
“I am just happy to be here for another day. It is not about what he did in this game, it is about what I did. I hit my doubles and my treble 20s.”
Williams will now meet pre-tournament favourite Luke Humphries, who breezed past Dave Chisnall in the other quarter-final.
- Updated 7.30am with late match.
