World Darts Championship: Luke Littler beats Ryan Joyce 4-3 in thrilling quarter-final contest | News darts
Luke Littler came through a thrilling battle against Ryan Joyce to reach the quarter-finals of the World Darts Championship with a tense 4-3 win at Alexandra Palace.
The 17-year-old, who is trying to go one better than his remarkable runner-up finish on tournament debut last year, never trailed but was pushed to the limits by his unseeded opponent as he was repeatedly tied behind.
After missing a chance to seal victory in the sixth set after struggling to finish, Littler rallied to finally overcome Joyce’s resilience and take the decider 3-1.
Littler, who is the highest-ranked player remaining in the tournament following the surprise exit of defending champion Luke Humphries, will meet 12th seed Nathan Aspinall in the last eight.
“I just wanted him to miss,” Littler said. “I had a lot of chances in my doubles until Ryan was close, but I’m happy to win.”
Early signs were that Littler could blow Joyce away, with four perfect darts to start the match setting up a break or throw in the opener. Joyce jumped on the board with darts of his own, but Littler finished 3-1.
Joyce equalized in a strange second set that saw all five legs go against the throw and Littler struggled to convert his double tries in a trend that would continue throughout the match.
Littler produced a solid third set after the break, taking it 3-1 with an average of 108.22 despite continuing to struggle in doubles.
The tension at Ally Pally was heightened when Joyce made good on his pre-match promise to take risks in doubles, taking the fourth set 3-1. At that stage of the match, Joyce converted eight of his 15 chances and Littler managed just nine of 29.
Joyce’s excellence in doubles was finally shaken in the fifth set when he offered a break to Littler, who appeared to accept as he closed out the set with his first deuce.
However, Joyce refused to lay down and fired 13 break points in the first part of the sixth set, then held for 2-0.
Littler battled to 2-2 and again earned a double for the match, but this time he missed and was penalized as Joyce kicked a double 16 to force a decider.
Under pressure, Littler threw back-to-back 180s to start the decider, and although he couldn’t send the crowd into nine-dart pandemonium, he closed to claim the crucial break.
He backed that up with a 13-darter hold, and while Joyce got the leg back on his own throw, Little sealed the match in relative comfort with a double 12 to seal the 14-darter leg.
“I wouldn’t say I was nervous,” Littler mused. “It was adrenaline. I knew for the last leg I told myself I was going to hang on, and I did on that double 12. That shows I can hit it.”
MVG are ‘here to win’ after an impressive win over De Graff
Michael van Gerwen kept alive his quest for a fourth world title by beating Jeffrey de Graaf 4-2.
Van Gerwen started brightly and looked set to cruise to victory after taking the first two sets, but De Graaf made an inspired comeback after the break.
The unseeded Swede, who knocked out former champion Gary Anderson in the second round, dominated the third set and took the fourth to level the match and put Van Gerwen under pressure.
The Dutchman responded like a champion, once again raising his level and taking the fifth set 3-0 with an average of almost 105.
126 checkouts followed in the opening leg of the sixth set, before Van Gerwen took advantage of De Graaf’s drop in break quality for a chance to seal the match.
He missed his first three darts of the match, before finally getting the job done on a double triple to secure the 11th quarter-final appearance of his career at the tournament.
“When I play well, I don’t panic. You saw I didn’t panic at all,” Van Gerwen told Sky Sports Darts after finishing the match with an average of 101.98.
“When I keep my focus, when I keep believing in my abilities, anything is possible. I’m not here for fun, I’m here to win the tournament, and we all know that.”
Bunting beats Woodhouse to reach the last eight
Stephen Bunting cruised into the quarter-finals with a dominant 4-0 win over Luke Woodhouse in the first leg of the evening.
The eighth seed burst out of the blocks after an electrifying run to break Woodhouse twice in the opening set, sealing him clean sheet with 121 checkouts and sending the crowd wild.
His average stayed above 100 after taking the second set 3-1, and while his level dropped a bit after that, the hapless Woodhouse never threatened to take the set, let alone the match.
Bunting’s opponent in the round of 16 will be two-time champion Peter Wright, after ‘Snakebite’ surprised defending champion Luke Humphries on Sunday.
“I’m expecting Peter Wright who was there against Luke yesterday,” Bunting told Sky Sports Darts. “I’m really looking forward to it, and like I said, we can win anything in front of these fans.”
What’s next?
Action continues on New Year’s Day, with each of Wednesday’s two sessions featuring two quarter-finals.
In the afternoon session, Chris Dobey faces 2021 champion Gerwyn Price, before three-time winner Michael van Gerwen takes on Callan Rydz.
What promises to be a spectacular evening session will kick off with two-time champion Peter Wright taking on Stephen Bunting, before Luke Littler takes on Nathan Aspinall.
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