Luke Littler doubled down on his plan to be ‘more fiery’ at the World Grand Prix after reaching the second round in style. The teenage superstar went up against Gian van Veen, who had an unbeaten record against The Nuke heading into the match. It quickly went up in smoke, though, with Littler producing the goods to cruise through in straight sets.
Van Veen made a strong start and threatened to draw first blood in the opening set, but Littler battled back with some big finishes to put himself in control of the match. He turned the screw in the second and final set and was on course for a nine-darter in the final leg. Littler was unable to achieve that goal but did more than enough to book his place in the next round of the tournament.
Speaking to Sky Sports on stage after the contest, the 18-year-old warned his rivals that he would continue to be ‘fiery’ in his pursuit of World Grand Prix glory.
“I am very happy,” said Littler. “I don’t think I could have a lot better there. I certainly played better than last year. I said I would be fiery and I showed that. I missed a few doubles starting and finishing but overall it was a good performance.
“Gian played his part in a brilliant game. We push each other every time, we play our best darts against each other. Hopefully this is my next major. First round done, on to the next one.”
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