Nineteen-year-old Luke Littler showed why he is the man to beat at the World Matchplay in Blackpool this week, crushing Josh Rock 16-7 to reach the semi-finals on Thursday night.
The match started tight. Rock kept pace with the world number one as both players traded breaks of throw — the darts term for winning a leg when your opponent had the first chance to score — to reach 5-5. But once Littler found his rhythm, there was no stopping him. He rattled off five legs in a row, and Rock never recovered.
Littler's performance was relentless. He hit 17 maximum scores — the highest possible three-dart finish — and his average score per turn was an astonishing 109.57. Asked how he felt after the win, Littler simply said everything was going to plan. "I feel good," he explained. "I can afford to miss a few doubles because the scoring's there."
The teenager from Warrington, England, is now just two wins away from successfully defending his World Matchplay title. He will face unseeded Dutch player Dirk van Duijvenbode in Saturday's semi-final. Van Duijvenbode, who had never made it past the quarter-finals at this tournament before, pulled off his own upset earlier Thursday, holding off a fierce comeback from Scotland's Gary Anderson to win 16-13.
Anderson, the 2018 Matchplay champion, looked finished when he trailed by eight legs. But he mounted a stirring fightback that had the crowd on their feet, including a stunning 154 checkout. Van Duijvenbode held his nerve, though, and the Dutchman now finds himself in uncharted territory.
For Littler, the question now is whether anyone can stop him. He has looked unstoppable all week, and with his scoring power and composure under pressure, he appears determined to hold onto his title.