Luke Littler has warned his rivals that he will continue to be ‘ruthless’ in his bid to achieve World Darts Championship glory.
The Nuke booked his place in the fourth round with a hard-fought win over Ian White despite not being at his best. He survived set darts in the first and fourth sets and struggled on the doubles with a 35 per cent success rate.
The 17-year-old looked particularly bullish at times, strutting around with attitude and letting out a huge roar as he wrapped up the fourth set.
In his post-match press conference, he said: “It’s good for me to show that I can be ruthless. I’m not a nice person at times on the board, I don’t think anyone is.
“It’s always good to have that bit of aggression. Ian has been around for many years, he’s played my grandad. For me it’s good to be ruthless, especially on that last dart.”
Littler added that he has been keeping a close eye on his rivals by watching almost every match at Alexandra Palace, only missing one night to attend the Sports Personality of the Year awards.
“I watched this afternoon, just chilling out on my phone,” he said. “I’m still a darts fan. I’ll still try and play my games but I’ll always have a look at what’s going on elsewhere. You’ve got to play well whoever you face.”
Littler will face Ryan Joyce, who is unseeded, in the fourth round on Monday as he looks to maintain his World Darts Championship title hopes.
Joyce has already conceded that he is expecting to get thrashed, saying: “If Luke Littler plays at his absolute top level, he can beat anybody won’t he? He will brush me aside comfortably.”
Asked for his thoughts on those comments, Littler replied: “I didn’t know he said that. If that’s what he’s thinking, it’s not really good for his game. I’ve just got to focus on my game and it’s all about what happens on the day.”
Only time will tell if Littler will be able to win the World Darts Championship at the second time of asking. He was beaten by Luke Humphries in last year’s final and could face him in the last four, having been placed the same half of the draw.
Humphries has already insisted that it will be him or Littler taking out the title, saying: “A Luke will win it and I think it will be me! I would be silly not to. I do believe I can win again.
“It will be tough, but I know I have the capability to win it and I think every player will believe that. I know I have a tough run and it will be hard, but you have to believe in yourself.”
