- 16-year-old Luke Littler dominated Brendan Dolan 5-1.
- Nicknamed “The Nuke,” Littler maintained a stellar average.
- Littler overcame Dolan’s early lead with a consistent performance.
With a 5-1 victory over Brendan Dolan, Luke Littler advanced to the PDC World Darts Championship semifinals with ease, earning a minimum prize of £100,000 in the process.
Littler, who is only 16 years old, has already made a name for himself outside of the darts world, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down as he gets ready to take on Rob Cross, the No. 8 seed, for the championship.
Nicknamed “The Nuke,” he capitalized on Dolan’s subpar performance to easily clinch a position in the last four by maintaining an average of 101.93 and a 47% success rate on checkouts.
LITTLER IS INTO THE LAST FOUR!! 👏
It’s another RIDICULOUS display from Luke Litter as he averages 101.93 in a demolition of Brendan Dolan!
The 16-year-old STORMS into the Semi-Finals at Alexandra Palace…
📺 https://t.co/f3RU9WTIoD#WCDarts pic.twitter.com/19q8vtjDq8
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) January 1, 2024
Both athletes had shaky starts, with Dolan winning the first two legs thanks to a 101 checkout versus Littler’s throw. But the 16-year-old came back, winning three straight legs and holding onto the lead after that.
After displaying an outstanding average of 121.86 in the second set, he needed a 111 checkout to overcome a 2-1 deficit in the third set and win it with a score of 301.
He breezed through the fourth set, but faltered in the fifth, missing several double darts. Still, he established himself once again, winning the sixth set with ease, capped off by a 140 checkout in the opening leg following a 164 visit.
Littler made several attempts during the game to hide a wide smile, as if he couldn’t figure out how Dolan’s or his darts were landing.
The young prodigy may be accused of arrogance by some, but it’s difficult to hold him accountable when talent and good fortune seem to be working in his favor.
He said lately that he couldn’t remember when he last lost a darts match. Even if he is the current global youth champion and has achieved success in the professional Modus Super Series, his global championship victory is still extremely remarkable.
Littler will then play Cross in the semifinal. Cross defeated Chris Dobey 5-4 after mounting an incredible comeback from a 4-0 deficit, marking one of Alexandra Palace’s greatest comebacks. Cross kept up a strong 100.7 average and a noteworthy 57.1 checkout percentage.
Michael van Gerwen, the three-time world champion, might face Dave Chisnall in the final, but not before defeating Luke Humphries and Scott Williams.
Littler has previously said that he only knows about Pele from FIFA, as opposed to having knowledge of Tiger Woods, Wayne Rooney, and Ronnie O’Sullivan, which further cemented his legendary position prior to being an adult.
He has had a rather easy path to the final without having to play against any player ranked in the top 20 in the world thus far in this tournament, which appears to be favoring him by luck.
But he’s performed well enough to take on any opponent, averaging over 100 throughout the competition. It will be interesting to see if he can continue to play at this level.
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